Race has no effect on my life what so ever, each person gets treated with common courtesy until they prove they don't deserve it. At that point it isn't because of the color of their skin its because they are an asshole.
IMHO the only people that constantly dwell on race are those who stand to gain something from it. Be it the Gates of the world or the KKK members, they all gain something from racism.
Where do you think people like Jesse Jackson would be with the issue of race? They don't want it to go away because it butters their bread.
White people are not better then non-white people, but being white in the USA, even today, is much better than being non-white.

Race does have a negative effect on the life of minorities in the US.
2004 RACE DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT AGAINST CRACKER BARRELMONDAY, MAY 3, 2004
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SETTLES RACE DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT AGAINST CRACKER BARREL RESTAURANT CHAIN
The Justice Department's complaint alleges that Cracker Barrel violated Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by engaging in a pattern or practice of discrimination against African-American customers and prospective customers on the basis of their race or color. Specifically, the complaint alleges that Cracker Barrel:
- allowed white servers to refuse to wait on African-American customers;
- segregated customer seating by race;
- seated white customers before African-American customers who arrived earlier;
- provided inferior service to African-American customers after they were seated; and
- treated African-Americans who complained about the quality of Cracker Barrel's food or service less favorably than white customers who lodged similar complaints.
The Justice Department's investigation revealed evidence of such conduct in approximately 50 different Cracker Barrel restaurants in seven states: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
United States Department of Justicehttp://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2004/May/04_crt_288.htm Merrill Lynch
Charges of discrimination towards minority employeesIn July 2006, a lawsuit alleging discriminatory hiring and promotion practices was brought by over 70 current and former African-American employees. Following commencement of the action, additional employees joined the suit and counsel is now seeking class-action status. These legal actions remain unresolved as of May 2008.
On June 26, 2007, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) brought suit against Merrill Lynch,[32] alleging the firm discriminated against Dr. Majid Borumand because of his Iranian nationality and Islamic religion, with "reckless disregard" for his protected civil rights.[33] The EEOC law suit maintains that violations by members of the firm were intentional and committed with malice. In another case concerning mistreatment of another Iranian employee by Merrill Lynch on July 20, 2007, less than a month after EEOC law suit, a NASD arbitration panel ordered Merrill Lynch to pay its former Iranian employee, Fariborz Zojaji, $1.6 million for firing him due to his Persian ethnicity.[34][35][36] Merrill Lynch's actions prompted reactions from both the National Iranian-American council, and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.[37]
In its June 2008 issue, Diversity Inc. named Merrill Lynch one of the top 10 companies for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered employees, and the #7 top company in the US for diversity overall. In 2007, Merrill Lynch was named the #2 best company in the US for people with disabilities by Diversity Magazine.[38] As of June 5, 2008, Merrill Lynch has created the West Asian, Middle Eastern and North African (WAMENA) Professional Network to help support and provide additional resources for employees of diverse backgrounds. In May 2008, Merrill Lynch was named the #1 US company for "Diverse College Graduates" by Diversity Edge magazine, edging out Microsoft for the top spot on the rankings.[39]
New Jersey appeals court on August 13, 2008 rendered a ruling against Merrill Lynch in a discrimination law suit filed by a gay employee.[40]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merril_Lynch#Charges_of_discrimination_towards_minority_employees