Good morning, everyone. Thanks for joining Steve and me for what we hope will be a lively exchange. We've gotten some great feedback on our latest Talking Race installment, and we really appreciate it. I was at my local coffee shop this morning and one of the regulars informed me that her  women's group ended up talking about race matters themselves after reading  our  joint column. That's what we like to hear.

So, fire away. Let me hear what's on your mind this morning. Steve is having what I hope is a slight technical problem, so he will join our chat  shortly.