Inside America’s schools, a battle of perceptions is waging. Latino children and the children of immigrants are struggling to make tracks in a country with bifurcated views on immigration and deeply entrenched racial delineations. Advancements have been made in the realm of politics, with Latino and African-Americans holding an array of powerful positions in 2009, but the still-controversial topic of race is often left off the table.

“It’s amazing to me that people of color come into politics, come into positions of power, and they do so without ever mentioning race once…even though that’s the elephant in the room,” said Jose Lara. At the risk of being “pigeonholed,” both President Barack Obama and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa ran political campaigns without addressing the issue at the base of America’s internal battle, according to Lara. “By not talking about it, you’re allowing it to continue,” said Lara.

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Jose Lara on Al Jazeera’s “Fault Lines.”