The election is over. The celebrations have ended. And the work for prefix = st1 /USpresident-elect Barack Obama has begun. The 47-year-old politician rose to the highest place because he was against the war inIraqand he planned to fix the difficult economy. But what will the first African-American president do for race relations?   Obama's victory appears to have given blacks and other minorities a true national role model. For years, many looked to athletes, musicians and pop stars for inspiration. As Darius Turner, an African-American high school student in Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times, "Kobe (the basketball player) doesn't have to be everyone's role model anymore." A USA Today survey found that two-thirds of Americans believe relations between blacks and whites "will eventually be worked out". This is the most hopeful answer since the question was first asked in 1963.   However, it's still too early to tell whether Obama's presidency will solve many of the social problems facing low-income black families.   It's unlikely that Obama will be able to  _ such trends overnight.   However, Bil Banks, an expert of African-American Studies, says that young blacks need to find role models to follow. "That's not Martin Luther King, and not Barack Obama," he told the Los Angeles Times. "It's actually the people closest to them. Barack only has so much influence."   In the opinion of black British politician Trevor Phillips, Obama's rise will contribute more to multiculturalism than to race relations in the US. For what reason did Obama win the election?
He was African-American. He wanted to solve race relations. He could set an example for blacks. He was against the war and tried to improve economy.