@StreetlightX

Thank you for that post. If you hadn't said it, I would have.

When it comes to guilt, action, etc. on the current affairs of our society, I feel at this point only time matters. None of us are guilty of the actions of our ancestors, but over the hundreds of years of the slave trade in America and abroad, this half a century of a more realized freedom for the African American is still a considerably fresh wound. The black men of today can still remember the words of their grandparents spoken when they were just children. The realization of there recent ancestrial past is not a light burden to carry and not an easy one to let go.

I think the only solution to to the wall that stands between is to simply make a sincere nod, look them in the eye, and move forward into our future. Of course, when it comes to being a female, you should probably take their hand as well (being a female myself) ;). With time, the wall will break down, and allow the past to be set aside.

As I manage restaurants, I once had a boss tell me, "Managing change in a single restaurant is like driving a speed boat, but managing change in an area of 12 restaurants is like the slow turn of a whole battleship." Considering the change of an entire society, I believe this to be relevant.