Let’s talk about race. Allaboutrace.com is the place on the web to talk about race in America. And by talk I mean share, discuss, argue, learn, teach, laugh and understand. This is a place for personal stories about how the vagaries of racial conflict affect each of us. Too often, race is the unaddressed “elephant in the room,” even at a time when our “melting pot” is spilling all over the stove.

I’ve always enjoyed talking about race even if getting the conversation started was uncomfortable. We comfortably talk about sexuality, gender issues, and money, but just mention a story in the paper with a racial component, particularly in a mixed race crowd, and everybody clinches. Many times I’ve avoided racial topics because I was afraid to discover that someone I like has racial views completely incompatible with mine. It hasn’t happened often, but it has. Like the time I found out one of my good friends at the time was “passing” because she thought it would help her career. Or the couple of times I chose to explain to a white friend why they could not use the “n-word” and had to strike it from their vocabulary. Look for posts about these encounters in the future.

As the creator and editor of this site, what I bring to the table is an amalgam of life experiences that although not completely atypical, are outside the lock step expectations one might have of a strong, black female, “boot strapper” like me. I’ve lived in projects and affluent neighborhoods. I’ve experienced poverty and abundance. I was fiercely bullied in early grade school, but thrived at Yale (the first person in my family to attend college). And I had life changing experiences traveling all around this country as a producer for ABC News. And throughout all of it, my foundation has been the world view and intellectual curiosity my mother and grandmother provided while I was growing up. Wherever we lived, we always had apartments filled with books, magazines and constant, candid discussions about issues of the day and their historical context.

As far as labels, I am an Independent with moderate political views. I am also a social liberal with strong opinions, always open to a good argument. I am deeply patriotic and passionate to create a place where we can come to grips with and talk through the hard stuff about race. Because race in America still influences how we see each other and limits how we empathize with each other and what we will do for one another.

America faces a tougher future. As I see it, we need EVERYONE in America who supports self-determination and the pursuit of happiness for all, pushing to make sure everyone has access to that dream. From my experience, many gang leaders for example, be they black, white or Latino, have similar and formidable skill sets. As a patriot I think what if those skills had been nurtured in the classroom and then applied to study, then to legitimate entrepreneurial pursuits or even national security efforts? We cannot afford to write off kids in Appalachia or South Central. We will need them all thinking and productive to help ensure our future.