ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the struggle of African-Americans for civil rights and the evolution of the civil rights movement in the United States. It examines the debates over government policies designed to ensure racial equality, the differences in approaches to eradicating racial discrimination, and the race-based divisions that still remain in American society. The chapter discusses the race relations in the United States as a result of the election of President Barack Obama. The election of Barack Obama as the country's first African-American president signaled a turning point in race relations, but many in the African-American community continue to face racial bias. The supporters of affirmative action, particularly in the African-American community, take issue with the critics of the policy. They make the argument that there continues to be both subtle and overt examples of racism and discrimination. That remain in American society and that without the pressure from government, hiring, admission, and promotions in business and institutions skewed toward whites.
