Irrefutably President Barack Obama received millions of white votes, and since his election the face of racism will never be the same. But to assume, as the letter writer does, that “we are now and forever equal” is naive. Indeed, hatred seems to have grown against Hispanics and Muslims as evidenced by the hate Web sites springing up, and the president himself has now been labeled a racist by some political bloviators.

The president did not call the police “stupid,” he said they acted stupidly; that’s a big difference. Unlike his predecessor, Obama has been open about admitting his mistakes. As The peacemaker letter on the same date revealed, it was a unique way for our leader not only to say he spoke in error, but also to bring those opposing entities together and talk rationally when cooler heads prevail.