While some may question whether a national prayer breakfast blurs the line between church and state, it is one of the rare non-partisan events that has attracted presidents from both parties. It dates back to the days of Dwight Eisenhower. While the organizers might be specific in their religious convictions, the event itself celebrates America’s civil religion. How appropriate that President Obama would call for a renewed civility. He suggested we can challenging each others’ policies without questioning people’s motives. “Surely you can question my policies without questioning my faith or for that matter, my citizenship.”

The cynic may consider that a political ploy designed to rescue plunging poll numbers. Yet, the depth of our national problems requires some setting aside of partisanship. We can agree on the need to alter our political discourse, to move forward in economic recovery, to get out of the nightmarish wars abroad.

Something happened the other day. Something ironic.

There are days when the only thing that will suffice a serious appetite is a 2 AM 7-11 run. Who's with me? But on this particular night, I witnessed something not unfamiliar to the 7-11 franchise.  Theft. But not any kind of theft.

This 15 year old still pre-pubescent punk walks into the store.... goes to the "beer cave".... and walks right out the front door while maintaining eye-contact with the man behind the register - as if to say, "just try to stop me." I'm there at the counter, paying for my moon pies, as any good participating citizen would. The man at the register just shook his head, defeated. I looked at him - then to the kid - back to the man, and thought "I need to run after him and stop him." I walked out. The acne laced thief just kept walking. And nothing. What was I going to do? The 7-11 dude told me not to go after him - that the last gentleman that did was, and I quote, "knifed". 

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The news and commentary swirling around the confrontation between Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates and a Cambridge police officer is a reminder that the election of Barack Obama is not a period at the end of America’s race conversation. Though the confrontation itself may not be a case of racial profiling, the ongoing reaction to the event demonstrates the need for continued discussion.

The discussion should continue and adapt overtime to the changing dynamics of our society. For example, in Los Angeles the discussion has to adapt to the new dynamic of Hispanics becoming the majority population in historically African-American neighborhoods like South Los Angeles, Watts, and Compton. In the same way that discussion around gender continues, our conversation about race doesn’t end just because glass ceilings are being shattered. I would also point out that the last place the conversation should end is within the Church, were segregation is still a chronic problem within every denomination.

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While my first passion (and formal training) is in theology and philosophy, I do love following politics. For balance, I regularly read the HuffingtonPost.com (liberal) Townhall.com (conservative) and watch CNN and Fox News to try and get multiple sides of every issue. For the past couple weeks, I’ve decided to pay even closer attention to the words of President Obama. In doing so, I’m amazed at how many times he directly contradicts himself. Yet what’s more amazing is that the mainstream media doesn’t pick up on these. Consider a few…

President Obama: Can we emphasize your Muslim roots or not? During the presidential campaign you strongly downplayed your Islamic background (strong criticism was leveled at those who included your middle name “Hussein.”) Yet in your recent speech in Cairo you emphasized your background and sympathy for Islam. In fact, you boasted of having “known Islam on three continents.” Which is it? And how far does your sympathy for Islam go? Why did you speak out immediately against the killing of Dr. Tiller, but were very slow in response to the murder at the recruiting office by an American Muslim?

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This day is a big day. It means more than just a president being sworn into office. Today marks a grand step in the right direction. It marks the day that people who look like me, take a closer step towards being accepted as citizens who are no different from other citizens. It marks the day that the nation said, loudly, that we want and embrace a new “change.” Today means that people of darker skin descent, can take a step closer in being seen as humans rather than the list of stereotypes that has held many of us back. This day is special to me, because I, as a Black man, can be taken just a little more serious among many of my White counterparts.

Now, for many who have never been called a derogatory racial slur, been denied seating because of the color of your skin, been presumed guilty simple because you are “dark,” been seen as “less than” because some scientist has labeled your ethnic group that way, been told you “cannot” because your ancestors never have, or have been degraded through subtle racism’s which deteriorates the very fabric in which your ethnicity sits on, this day might not mean as much. However, for “us”— meaning African American people, Puerto Rican people, Mexican people, Korean people, Euro-American people, African people, and any one else who identifies with their ethnic background and culture—this day means that we take  a closer step towards “all men created equal…” and realize that people of darker persuasion can be “all they can be.”

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