  You know, before all this "terrorist" stuff went down,I thought that the biggest problem we had as a countrywas one of race. It seems to me that racism is alwaystalked about as if it is what white people do toothers. I disagree, and believe that the backlashagainst past discrimination, particularly by the blackcommunity, perhaps contributes mightily to racialantagonism today. Thats not to say that its wrong thata backlash should happen, but its time we stoppedteaching our people that "racism" is a white problem. It's everyone's problem. Unfortunately, racism hasbeen a part of humanity for time immemorial, andanyone who judges others by their skin color, or anyother racial characteristic, is racist, regardless ofwhat they themselves are.
That said, I think thereare two lessons that should be taught, one to whites,and one to blacks(yeah I know there are other races,but asians seem to have met with a great deal ofsuccess here, and hispanics comprise a number ofdifferent racial groups). For blacks: White men are not innately evil. We arenot the oppressors, nor the hatemongers, of the world.Yes, some of our ancestors enslaved you, but slaveryhas been a part of human history for many thousands ofyears, all major cultures practiced it, and quitefrankly, ethnic groups within Africa sold theirneighbors into slavery quite readily. In fact, Africais one of the few places on earth where slavery stillexists. So, although we have a sad recent history ofslavery and discrimination, these things can, and arebeing, rectified, and there is certainly hope for thefuture.For whites: Until about 40 years ago, blacks were noton an "equal" playing field with whites, and thus wecannot expect their society to be without hardship andanimosity.
Those whites that look at the economiccondition of the majority of blacks in this countryand think that blacks are somehow inferior or doomedneed recognize the little time given, less than ageneration, to pull themselves out of poverty andignorance(which poverty creates). Hell, a few generations ago we wereselling their children into slavery, so cut them abreak if their family values and ways of doing thingsare a bit different from your own.
We must never losesight of how little time has passed since we began tocall blacks equal.It is hard for me to look at the racial tensions inthe US, and the world for that matter, without somefeeling of sadness. We are all human, and if we couldhave looked down on the world 2,000 yrs ago, a blinkin time, we would have seen groups of white Celts, furclothed, dancing around a campfire. We could haveseen black Bantus, black Pygmies, Native Americans,Incas, Vietnamese, all dancing around their owncampfires, each with some superficial variation ofdress and shelter, but really just about the same inevery respect.
As a white man, I realize Africans, Asians, Indians, are all people just like us. Not people JUST like us, but PEOPLE...just like us.Every time I go outside, happily, I see more and moreinterracial couples, more interracial friends, moreinterracial children. It just takes a bit ofinteraction to realize we all share a common humanity,only isolation can create divisions. 
