Wow, this is a great thread.

I'm doing some graduate work now (along with a few million other things), and just last week I read an incredibly good book that deals with most of the issues brought up in this thread. It's called "Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria" and Other Conversations About Race, by Beverly Daniel Tatum. If you feel passionate about race issues in the U.S.(and it sounds like some of you do!) you've got to read it - it's amazing. It's not long, it's an easy read, and you may even find your local library has it. If I had time, I'd tell you more, but you can read a whole bunch of reviews on it at Amazon.com. (BTW, it's not only about Blacks and Whites - it's also about Latinos, American Indians, multiracial families, etc.)