in conflict.

an ongoing discussion/moment of clarity.

words.

"...the curtain of invisibility behind which we have lived for so long has been pulled back, surprising and disturbing some of the most well-meaning whites. Recall the “I had no idea” comment of television host Chris Matthews when President Obama indicated that he, too, had been subjected to stereotyping.

And pulling back the curtain of invisibility has confounded many who believed they could continue their patterns of discrimination with anonymity.

...Taking a page from another book, Chris Rock was interviewed in a recent Vulture magazine article. His take on changing attitudes toward people of color was interesting.

He continued, “So, to say Obama is progress is saying that he’s the first black person that is qualified to be president. That’s not black progress. That’s white progress. There have been black people qualified to be president for hundreds of years…..the advantage my children have is my children are encountering the nicest white people that America ever produced. Let’s hope America keeps producing nicer white people.” (Keep in mind the audiences of this comedian when you read this statement).

The narrative about race is changing. Witness the CBS national news just last night in which two young whites acknowledged that they never had to think about race as they went about their daily lives, but they understood that the African Americans on the panel think about race all-of-the-time. Their ability to empathize, to put themselves in the shoes of African Americans, is a very important part of better communication between the races.

So, as the conversation and the work continue, let us all remember that we have a chance to participate in changing our society."

THE WASHINGTON POST: Charlene Drew Jarvis: ‘The narrative about race is changing’