The best neighbour we have in our street is 'black'. I just think of him as Mike... I note his colour in the same way as I note that one of my best friends here has dark hair and eyes. It's just a way to describe them to another person." -jacqui.c

-snip-

jacqui.c, race as a valueless descriptor is the way that I would love race/ethnicity to be considered now & in the future.

Unfortunately, all people in this nation & throughout the world, and institutions in this nation & throughout the world aren't of the same mind and opinion.

Unfortunately, race does still matter, and in many "incidences" like the Jena 6 or Jena 3 that is reported above, it has little or nothing to do with a person being "quite comfortable in his [or her]own skin" or the fact that Mike's [your Black neighbor's] "colour has never been something that has been raised as an issue".

That said, I appreciate your comments and I'm glad that you have a point of view about race that I wish many others had.