Race relations in America...?

An article at CNN.com has me wondering about the odd nature of race relations in our country.
59% of American whites thought they would see a black man become President, only 29% of American blacks agreed...why? The article also alludes to other polls, "Polls show that whites and blacks tend to have different views on the amount of racism in the U.S." said CNN polling director Keating Holland". Why do we have these different views on racism in America, and how does the election of Barack Obama change that, as the polling data suggests it does? The article basically says that before Obama was elected most African-Americans saw no "solution to this country's racial problems", whereas now the majority of African-Americans believe a solution can be found. What changed in the space of one day? Doesn't the black community need to admit that they may be wrong about most whites in America? Perhaps, the white community is not as racist as they perceived? As a man of color, I have dealt with my share of racism in my lifetime. They were experiences that I will never be able to forget...but they do not color my life. They were events that happened due to the ignorance of others, and I will not allow these few instances to change my view of humanity or to color my worldview. There are racists in American (though I would argue that racism is less rampant here than any where else in the world), and these few small minded ignorant people cannot be allowed to win. They win by turning those of us who are not bigots and racists against each other, whether we be white, black, brown, yellow, red, green or polka dotted...