Many pundits professed the dawn of a “post-racial” era following the election of Barack Obama as the first African-American president. But race and interracial relations still stir deep emotions in the public and in the press. Evidence includes the recent furor over President Carter’s recent comments suggesting race is contributing to criticism of Obama.

Physorg reports:
Dr. Rupert Nacoste (pictured), of North Carolina State University, has made a lifelong study of interracial dynamics, and can contribute historical context and key insights into the current state of race relations. Nacoste says “we are not in a post-racial era, we are in the midst of a period of interracial transition.”

Nacoste says that issues being grappled with in this current transition period include, “How and why does the presence of race influence the ways in which people try to interact with each other; what social mistakes arise from these interactions; and how can these interracial interactions be improved? Stereotypes still do real damage, and that is something needs to be addressed.” READ MORE