Mr. United States Attorney General,

Some time ago you made a comment about white people not wanting to discuss racial issues because we were cowards. At the time you made the remark I decided that I would not take the bait and answer your complaint, that I would let it ride, take a deep breath and just hope that someone close to you - someone you trusted - would point out that your remark made you part of problem, not part of the solution.

I also figured that confronting you would be a waste of time because not only had you made up your mind and, I believe, you have too much to lose to step back and re-think your position. Everyone has an agenda and race-baiting could be yours.

I've been saying for years now that the U.S.A. is a racist country, and in spite the progress that many people have made in standing up for themselves, not letting their race get between them and their dreams, Americans of all colors refuse to move out of their comfort zones and admit it. This recent Harvard professor vs the policeman incident in Massachusetts, as well as all the incendiary commentary surrounding it has, once again, proven my point.

In the late 1980's a group of teenage black boys reached under a chain-link fence to steal my tennis racket bag (which had my wallet and car keys inside). I screamed at them, trying to scare them away and then grabbed the bag, my keys, jumped into my car and chased after them through the suburban streets of Ewing, New Jersey.

I was so furious that those children would have so little regard for someone else's property that they would try to steal it, and I wanted to follow them so I could find their parents and let them know what reprobates they were raising. I wasn't able to find their parents but for years afterward I was nervous whenever I saw a group of young black boys.

I imagine you would like to say to me, "They were just kids. Why don't you just let it go? You shouldn't blame all black kids for something a bunch of hoodlums did over twenty years ago." And I would agree with you if I weren't human. Truth be told, from that day forward I had to consciously fight against that nervousness every day, I had to keep reminding myself of the obvious: That not all black children were not thieves. NO DUH!

Our fears and prejudices are products of our experiences and our environment. Here's a small sampling of other incidents that affected my thinking for years and years afterward:

• A rottweiler dog on a chain growled and lunged toward me
• I was sick for 24 hours after lunch at a Ground Round restaurant
  
• A guy I dated once smelled like old broccoli
• Got the mother of all sunburns on a beach in Pensacola, Florida

So, what were the fears induced by the above incidents? Dogs on chains? Lunch at a restaurant? Dating a guy? Beaches in Florida?

There's an item missing from my list: Being called a 'coward' by the Attorney General of the United States.

I won't return the dis-service, Mr. Holder, and lump you in with other black people who have contempt for white people, and I'll even give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you were trying to start a civil dialog about race relations. But you should not make the mistake of thinking that all white Americans are afraid to discuss race because I, for one, am not.

Regards,


cc: President Barack Obama