The Racial Prism

With the election of Barack Obama in 2008, many pundits declared America's racial problems over.  Still, as the recent protests in Ferguson, MO indicate, many of the old biases and mistrusts remain. Are we still suffering from the wounds of slavery, or have they healed over (or, as Langston Hughes observed, are they "fester(ing) like a sore" below the surface)?  To what extent do racial biases play a role in daily life here at Groves High School?  Does the self-segregation that we can observe in the cafeteria, in the hallways, in the classrooms indicate a pervasive problem, or does it indicate a natural (and harmless) urge of people to hang out with people like themselves?  Also, the Detroit News Special Report that you read in class chronicles a history of Detroit that might seem different to people of different backgrounds.  To what extent do people filter their life experiences through a prism of cultural bias?