Read about Barack Obama's presidency and the debate around a "post-racial" America — and practise the present perfect vs the past simple, at B2/C1 level.
Read the text carefully, then answer the comprehension questions using the dropdown menus.
When Barack Obama won the presidential election in 2008, many commentators called it a historic turning point. For the first time, the United States had elected an African American to its highest office, and some journalists began to describe the country as "post-racial" — a society that had moved beyond the divisions of its past. Obama himself was more cautious, and he has often reminded Americans that progress on race is never finished.
His presidency, from 2009 to 2017, coincided with real advances: an expansion of healthcare access and a visible increase in Black representation in politics. Yet the same years also saw the deaths of several unarmed Black people at the hands of police, which sparked nationwide protests and gave rise to the Black Lives Matter movement. These events made it clear that a single election had not erased deep-rooted inequality.
Sport became one arena where these tensions played out publicly. Athletes such as Colin Kaepernick, who began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016, used their visibility to draw attention to racial injustice. Obama has repeatedly defended such protests as a legitimate exercise of free speech, even when they proved controversial.
Since leaving office, Obama has continued to speak about race in America, arguing that a truly "post-racial society" was always more aspiration than reality. Whether his presidency marked a genuine turning point remains a subject that historians still debate today.
1 Obama won the presidential election in .
2 Some journalists described the USA as after his election.
3 Obama himself was about that idea.
4 His presidency saw an expansion of .
5 Police killings of unarmed Black people led to the rise of the .
6 Colin Kaepernick protested by .
Use the past simple for finished actions at a definite past time (e.g. dates, "in 2008"). Use the present perfect for actions connecting the past to now, or for unfinished periods of time. Choose the correct form.
1 Obama the presidential election in 2008.
2 Since leaving office, he to speak about race in America.
3 Kaepernick kneeling during the anthem in 2016.
4 Many athletes their platform to speak about injustice ever since — the practice continues today.
5 The Black Lives Matter movement enormously since it began, and it is still active today.
6 The 2008 financial crisis shortly before Obama took office.
7 Historians his legacy for years now, and the discussion is not over.
8 Obama office in January 2017.
Certain time expressions belong with the past simple (a finished point in time); others belong with the present perfect (an unfinished period, or no definite time given). Choose the word or phrase that correctly completes each sentence.
1 Obama became president .
2 The debate about race in America has continued .
3 Kaepernick has protested .
4 The financial crisis hit the US economy .
5 , no US president after Obama has been African American.
6 Black Lives Matter has organised protests .
7 Obama gave his farewell speech .
8 He a new memoir — it came out only a few days ago.
Write a short text (100–130 words) about progress and change on an issue you care about — this can be racial equality, another form of discrimination, or a completely different topic (e.g. the environment, technology). Use the past simple for finished events at a definite time, and at least three examples of the present perfect for changes connecting the past to now.
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