The sad reality is that every African-American, including Obama, has experienced some kind of racial discrimination in their lives. I still recall the story told me by the 16-year-old son of the African-American host family I lived with in Detroit in 1998. An excellent student, he felt deeply hurt and angered to see a white woman suddenly holding her purse tight while seeing him passing by, as if he were a robber.

The family, a middle class one of certified public accountant parents, still talked about how they haven't forgotten the history of slavery suffered by their great-grandmother.

Statistics show that the wealth gap between white and African-American families has tripled in the past three decades from 1984 to 2009. In everything from employment, education and pay to healthcare and home ownership, African-Americans are often at the bottom of society. And while accounting for only 12.6 percent of the US population, African-Americans make up 38 percent of the prison population in the country.

The days when Rosa Parks fought to end segregation may have long gone, yet it's no surprise anymore to walk into many American communities and schools these days to be reminded that de facto segregation still exists widely in a nation which lauds itself for upholding human rights.

In his inauguration speech in January last year, Obama made immigration, climate change, gun control and job creation the top priorities for his second term, he clearly missed that halting the worsening racial inequality should also be high on the agenda. It would be a perfect legacy for an African-American president.

The author, based in Washington, is deputy editor of China Daily USA. [email protected]