I just recently read an article and saw a short video on the arrest of well known African American scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. Gates was charged with disorderly conduct after police suspected him of breaking into his own home. Understandably he became upset, purportedly used some strong language and was taken in. The charges have since been dropped.

  Now whether the actions of the police were merited and whether racial profiling occurred are debatable. My interest here is not to weigh in on what I think happened or what was justified. I want to focus on the good this situation has created. As a result of this event, people have started talking about race, profiling and justice in America. People are sharing their ideas, joining conversations and critiquing the state of social issues. This is desirable, for it may lead to changes that benefit those marginalized in society. And this is a conversation that all of us need to engage in.

  Racism is still prevalent and is performed by people of all different skin colours. Often, we think of white people’s actions when we think of racism, but all ‘races’ do it. I’ve heard Indians make derogatory comments about Chinese people. Last weekend, I saw one Black man make fun of another Black man’s darker skin colour. All groups do this and we all need to discuss racism and seek ways to eliminate it if we truly want a society that is racism free.