Thanks for a thoughtful, useful, informed post.
In terms of race, 400 years of slavery, followed by 150 years of institutionalized oppression, followed by a few decades where we are just beginning to address the issue (at the personal, institutional, and cultural levels) and where it is just now becoming safe for white folks to acknowledge the bigotry in our socialization, and all of this makes sense.
Regarding Obama, I've spent about 45 minutes with him, with a few other people without any particular agenda, and he is one of the most amazing humans I've ever met. The role he played in moving the ball forward in terms of race, and the personal price he paid for it, was a great contribution and sacrifice.