Let's Talk About Race...I'll Bring the MGD

This morning, I got dressed and headed down to the corner store to grab a six-pack. Last night, I decided that there were quite a few folks with whom I needed to have a discussion just to iron out a few things. I walked into the store and grabbed a six-pack of Miller Genuine Draft (MGD) which has always been the beer of choice for my father.

For over twenty years, my father and his buddies would venture down to the shed and talk for two or three hours. The topics ranged from the weather that week to performance of our elected officials. Every now and then, what would start as a disagreement amongst the fellas earlier in the week would end here on Friday with a cold MGD. Every summer, I worked with my father at his plant. I’d grab a Mountain Dew and a slice of pizza and tag along with my father and friends.

Apparently, our President also attended The Charles White School of Discussion. Having proven that he could motivate crowds of millions, President Obama has shown his versatility in bringing about change in a more direct and interpersonal manner. When the President, Vice-President, Dr. Gates and Officer James Crawley sat and discussed their differences over a “cold one”, it presented a transition moment. The President moved from using motivational speeches to applying more direct and interpersonal communication methods to mend fences and resolve conflicts.

President Obama understands that, if we can communicate, conflicts between two parties can be resolved. Maybe the Beer Summit was a practice session for the country’s new diplomatic approach to dealing with those we have labeled as our enemies. The event showed that we can use our commonalities as the foundation to build the world. It is when we don’t communicate that our differences become the divisions that threaten us all.

Looking back, one of the more disheartening moments I’ve experienced in my adult life was the day that Michigan voters decided to eliminate Affirmative Action within the state. I was disappointed and hurt, not only because a policy that had helped deserving underrepresented minorities gain access was no longer available but also with the manner in which the discussion or lack thereof, played out.

The polls leading up to the election projected that the measure would fail, by a relatively wide margin. When the opposite occurred, it was a sign that people were content with expressing their opinions about race behind closed doors. Did this mean that race would always be the elephant in the room? Were we not even willing to have a public debate although the referendum was a loud and clear request to do so?

It left me to wonder if we could ever resolve our racial divisions and instead focus on the things that we have in common. How could we resolve differences about which we refused to talk? When my classmates thought that I didn’t belong at the University of Michigan, would I ever get the opportunity to provide facts which proved otherwise? When my co-workers looked at me in meetings, were they still questioning my competence or were they taking my advancement at face value? While Ward Connerly would argue that Affirmative Action facilitates these beliefs, I counter that the general lack of communication allows us to continue to live with these pre-conceived notions.

Just as my father and his drinking buddies could bring closure to each week under the shed, we must begin to communicate to close the gaps in our differences and grow on common grounds. President Obama’s gesture was a great start. Two men, who were presumably destined to remain enemies, now are a little closer and more understanding of what makes the other tick. So I challenge those who have a bone to pick with me or my thoughts, let’s talk. You bring the open mind and I’ll bring the MGD.

Delano White is the author of Diary of a Mad Businessman: A Layman’s Guide to Starting a Business from the Ground Up. He can be reached at delano.white@reignmakersincorporated.com. His book can be picked up on amazon.com.