When Barack Obama becomes the Democratic Party's presidential standard bearer in August, his acceptance speech may well avoid the most obvious question raised by his nomination -- is there still a need for racial preference programs, or does his nomination signal that racial equality is now a reality?

This is more than a rhetorical question. Colorado voters will decide this fall whether to end racial and gender preference programs by state and local governments in employment, education and contracting. Similar initiatives will probably make the 2008 ballot in Arizona and Nebraska. Supporters failed to get the needed signatures to place the proposition on the ballot in Missouri and Oklahoma.

Obama has spoken against anti-affirmative action referendums, which are promoted by Ward Connerly, the founder of the American Civil Rights Institute and the man who spearheaded the end of racial preferences in admissions in the University of California system. But Obama's rhetoric can't alter the fact that his nomination and, should it come pass, his election, will fundamentally change the discussion of race in this country. Affirmative action will be at the forefront of that redefinition.

Obama couches his support of affirmative action with the caveat that preferential treatment should not come at the expense of working-class whites. Regardless of that argument, pleas for continued affirmative action are going to ring hollow to many of the voters Obama is trying to assuage, given that he's that a biracial, Ivy League-educated millionaire who has a better than even chance of becoming the next president of the United States.

ALTHOUGH HISTORIC, Obama's election would simply be a continuation of mainstream acceptance of African-American excellence outside of athletics and entertainment. Increasingly, many of the best minds in academia, the military, business, public service and other endeavors belong to blacks.

Yet despite this growing -- and underreported -- wave of individual achievement, African-Americans as a group remain disproportionately poor, imprisoned and undereducated. Affirmative action, once thought to be a solution, has simply allowed its advocates to avoid these problems by stressing diversity.

Obama has hinted that he wouldn't mind seeing affirmative action evolve into a policy that is class-based, not race-based. As I once him heard him say, it's absurd for his daughters to be given preference for college entrance over white children who are poor. That inclusive approach certainly would have widespread appeal.

But it would not address the fundamental causes of underachievement that continue to hold back much of black America. As Obama hinted on Father's Day, when he implored black men to become involved and responsible for their children, many of the obstacles African-Americans face are not the result of institutional racism; they're self-imposed.

Harvard sociology professor Orlando Patterson is more direct. He decries the reticence of his fellow social scientists and civic leaders to confront some aspects of African-American culture as the reason so many black men pursue self-destructive behavior. That mainstream corporations glorify this culture, primarily through entertainment and professional sports, doesn't help a situation in which some black youths base their self-esteem in anti-social behavior.

Patterson adds intellectual heft to the social arguments Bill Cosby has spoken and written about recently. But I don't think even his arguments go far enough.

While it's easy for non-blacks to decry low points in African-American culture, point to Oprah Winfrey's success and proclaim "Black America, heal thyself," it's hard to intellectually avoid the hand we've collectively had in the degradation of the black family. Take your pick. Liberals can point to slavery, in which family members were split up and sold off. Conservatives can point to welfare, which made it was economically beneficial for a father to leave home. Moderates can point to both.

Regardless of the reason, it's crucial that we begin to rebuild the black American family. And we can start by sending our best teachers, principals, social workers and police into the communities that most need help, and reward them handsomely. That's the type of affirmative action American needs, no matter who the next president is.

Get $150+ in coupons in every Sunday N&O. Click here for convenient home delivery.