Recent polls indicate that the chasm between races in this country still exists and has become more pronounced because of recent events The tensions surrounding Ferguson and other cities is in reality the tip of the iceberg.Distance and lack of personal contact often contribute to stereotypes and fear of the other resides in most or perhaps all of us.There are muck rakers on all sides of the issues and it is easy to find reasons why one side is at fault.Some buy into beliefs …that allow the distance to remain and even widen while others shrug their shoulders and believe it will never get better. The challenges are to get beyond the bias that we all carry and we must see the challenges through systemic solutions. Much of what sustains the current unresolved status are the remnants of years of distance and lack of opportunity. You cannot dismiss the racial history of hundreds of years as if it has no effect on today. Equally you cannot blame every single woe on those who had no part in that shameful history. Change lies in facing poverty,privilige and a willingness to not be comfortable with the belief that it is up to the other to change.This wonderful country of ours is reaching out to all of us to strive to be what the Founding Fathers intended in this great experiment of Democracy.