Race on Campus: Beyond Obama, The Unity Stops
- May 3, 2008
- 1 min read
DURHAM, N.C. -- Walking into his "Race and Politics" class recently, David Sparks, a white Duke University political-science graduate student, considered whether to move from his usual seat in the group of white students who always clustered at one end of the seminar table to sit with the black students who typically sat at the other end.
Mr. Sparks didn't do it. "It would have felt too conspicuous," he says. Still, on Tuesday's primary here, Mr. Sparks plans to vote for Sen. Barack Obamafor president. That's an easier choice, he says.
"When you're actually trying to change your behavior, you are putting more on the line compared to voting in the privacy of the booth," he says. "There are millions and millions of people voting for Obama. In no way are you sticking your neck out."
