I had a similar conversation with former US Ambassador Andrew Young when discussing racism as it pertains to our criminal justice system. The photos taken of the conversation still tickle me when I happen upon them, me passionately trying to convince Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's top advisor that over-incarceration was rooted in racial hatred (and yes, greed) and he countering that it's all about economics. The second photo seems to show him having a moment of enlightenment as my facial expressions and body language soften into the satisfaction of having convinced him otherwise.

It took several years and more such exchanges before I began to get Andy's point, and still... Yes, it's about greed, it's about power, it's about privilege, and it's about economics - but WHY? In the world of racial constructs, why does such a driving need to dominate, denigrate, and hate others consume so many more Whites than any other race, and why is it race that they manipulate?

A recent image of two seemingly impoverished African children circulated on social media. In the midst of a dry, dirt road surrounded by not a single high-rise building or other amenities known so well in Western culture, they danced with abandonment and a joy that transcended conditions that we consider poverty. Their smiles were radiant. Yet all across suburban America where wealthy White teens drive their BMWs down tree-lined streets flanked by mini mansions while heading to pristine pools and tennis courts at nearby country clubs, the suicide and drug rates increase daily.

There are many cultures where people live simply, happily, and with great contentment without the need to dominate others. They don't have what is often spoken of as a normal human condition, the need for power and privilege. We've known for some time that the White race is dominated by those who are compelled to control, take from, and dominate others. The hatred, born of a deep sense of inadequacy and guilt, is part and parcel of an unquenchable thirst. Yet, as if to acquiesce to a notion of superiority, we never explore the cancer that has infested the hearts and minds of so many Whites and the lack of impetus of the remainder to grapple control of their diseased. Like any cancer, it spreads and affects more than its original locale. It spreads and infests us all. Healing the human condition becomes our charge as well.

Once we identify a problem the next step is to identify and execute a solution. To date, we've never gotten past identifying the problem. Thus, be it hatred, power, or privilege, the problem continues to exist.