Around the world the election of Barack Obama to the White House was seen as a watershed moment for race relations in America. The first black man to be president was taken as the symbol of a new post-racial era. Six years on, with tensions between black communities and the police running sky high, is anyone still talking about a post-racial America? Hardtalk speaks to Cornel West, writer, academic and fierce critic of President Obama, and asks why the race debate turned sour.

(Photo: Cornel West speaks onstage at Advertising Week, New York. Credit: Monica Schipper/Getty Images)