<p>I read this article and I found the following odd:</p>
<p>“It would have been impossible for Barack Obama to go from a historic black school to become president, at this time. The whole point is that a broad swath of America had to be able to identify with him.”</p>
<p>I understand what Prof. Gates is saying - by going to a traditionally white and elite school, Barack extended his association, relationship, and affiliation in an academic and professional sense from just black people to black people and white people. But a “broad swath of America had to be able to identify with him”??? In the vain of education, this seems somewhat faulted. How many Americans - black or white - can identify with Columbia undergrand and Harvard law?</p>