Some people mentioned not having any true black leaders that will criticize and call out the problems with black society and offer up a true way to make a change. I clearly remember Bill Cosby doing just that sometime last year and the NAACP chastized him for it!!! On the issue of race, my father grew up in Macon during the 60's/70's. He went through segregation then integration and grew up around lots of racist people. He never felt that way. He became a coach/teacher at Henry County Middle School in 1979 and has been there since. When I was growing up I knew as many black people as I did white, we always had one or two black kids at the house that dad was helping out or making sure that they made it to school or were getting a good meal. I had never heard the word "nigger" until I was about 4 years old and was on a school bus my dad was driving with his wrestling team to a match. One of his wrestlers, "smoky", a black kid taught me the word. My dad was so pissed off about it and asked him what he was going to do when I repeated the word that had been taught to me as a joke by a black guy. I have had an interesting perspective on race and see the flaws in white society as well as black society, it's too bad more people can't.