Across the gulf of racial difference

Does the highlighted sentence mean:

1. when the communication is formed in spite of the existence of racial differences

or

2. when racial differences constitute the subject of the communication

Context:

Ligon’s language-based composition points to the imprecision of meaning that arises in language, and the difficulty of true communication taking place through it. The impossibility of communication may become even greater when those speaking do so across the gulf of racial difference.