Black And White

They gave us the bullet to save themselves; they will give us the ballot to save themselves. - Frederick Douglass Unfortunately, the nation did not feel as indebted to black Americans as Douglass suggested it would. Perhaps the great ex-slave orator, abolitionist and native Marylander was not as confident as he sounded. He may have found it more politic to suggest that white America would do the right thing if only to repay black soldiers who fought on the Union side. But there was no immediate indication Americans believed their system was endangered by withholding the franchise.

Language is tricky, and this is never truer than in election years. Take the terms we use to describe ourselves. In my case, even though it's the box I check off on official forms, I'm clearly not "white." I'm pink, or some shade toward that end of the spectrum. And so are you, if you think you're "white." Fact is, other than albinos, I don't know anyone who is literally white. Do you? I often think we might resolve some of our racial bias if we referred to European-heritage Americans as "pinks" and African-heritage Americans as "browns."

BLACK AND WHITE ISN'T just a classic look. It's also one of this spring's hottest trends. And Respira Medical sales rep Sara Collins pulls it off with great elan. This 24-year-old Canton resident loves taking a classic look and adding a trendy twist. How could a client refuse her? Age: 24 Residence: Canton Job: Patient account-equipment sales representative for Respira Medical Self-described style: "Classic, traditional and fun" The look: White cap-sleeve top with black trim. Black-and-white striped tulip skirt.

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Barack Obama's race speech didn't adequately answer the key question of his relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, but his comments were revelatory in important ways. What Mr. Obama highlighted, if indirectly, is the dormant disconnect between much of black and white America. And what he revealed, if accidentally, is that he has contributed to that disconnect as a passive participant. We need to talk, Mr. Obama says. So let's talk. What has become clear in the several days since Mr. Obama's speech in Philadelphia is that blacks and whites see things differently - in some cases, as different as black and white.

Seeking to erase the stark economic disparities between black and white Baltimore residents, a group of civic leaders unveiled a plan yesterday to expand the city's black middle class, saying doing so is vital to the city's economic health. Called "More in the Middle," the project, spearheaded by Associated Black Charities, is the culmination of 2 1/2 years of research among business and nonprofit leaders. Through public and private partnerships, the program aims to take on the large task of closing the black-white wealth gap, while trying to reverse decades of black flight and help low-income residents climb to the ranks of the middle class.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa --At first glance, Isabella Mosime's story could not possibly say all that much about the future of South Africa. After all, she is a black teenager who was raised by a white family, an anomaly in this race-obsessed country. Look more closely, though, and Bella exemplifies something potentially significant. Because she has a foot in both the black and white worlds, this loud and bubbly 19-year-old can move nimbly back and forth, smudging those lines in the process.

NANTICOKE-- --The distance between the two Methodist churches in this Eastern Shore village is little more than a mile. Yet for decades, it seemed as if a great gulf separated them. One church was black. The other was white. Though the two communities in the watermen's town got along fine, come Sunday, people went their own way. White families flocked to Nanticoke Road for prayers at the picturesque Nanticoke United Methodist Church. Black families followed the narrow roads east to the equally pretty Asbury United Methodist Church on Hickman Lane.

Then we have those conscientious objectors at the State Department who are balking, noisily, at being sent to Iraq. Hey, you could get killed over there! Which is a possibility our troops face every day. But the striped-pants brigade, or at least its more raucous elements, seem to think they deserve a pass. Do you think these characters have ever read the oath they took? Or noticed they were applying for the Foreign Service? True conscientious objectors are allowed an exemption from combat, and should be. But they're not allowed to pick and choose which of their country's wars they will participate in. Forget wars of choice; we now have foreign policies of choice.

It was a hot Sunday afternoon, and City Councilman Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr. was standing on a platform in front of a South Baltimore crowd, pounding away at the theme of diversity. "That's what this city is about," the mayoral candidate boomed into the microphone. "Our diversity. That's what this campaign is about. Diversity." For this predominantly black city - where race subtly imbues every aspect of politics - the message of inclusion clearly struck a chord with the sea of largely white faces in the audience.

A decade ago, the list of the top 10 TV shows favored by African-American viewers and the list of top shows among all viewers shared only one program: Monday Night Football. But this year, for the first time in a generation, the polls on shows favored by white and black audiences are strikingly similar, in agreement on eight of the top 10. Never in the 20 years that the data from Nielsen Media Research has been systematically compared based on race has such a convergence between black and white TV tastes emerged.