The New Man

Does it seem scary to talk about race? How is racial tension similar to an uncomfortable Thanksgiving dinner? And what if the thing that would make a difference is much closer than we could imagine? Recently I learned a valuable lesson: that I could actually talk to my black friends about their experiences instead of making assumptions and relying on the media or some idealogical group to tell me what to say, think, or do. Having these individual conversations has been revelatory for many reasons — one of which was realizing again how much simply being curious and paying attention could have a huge impact. I learned that it was safe to ask questions and to simply listen. That I wouldn’t be attacked because I was white or if I didn’t get it politically correct. One of the conversations that cracked my world open was with my friend, Mark Palmer. He’s an author and corporate leadership consultant, and even though we’ve known each other for many years, I’ve never asked him about his experience as a black ma