>But I venture to say that these brothers are far more ALIKE than they are DIFFERENT.

In a constructive spirit, I will make some suggestions about some of the challenges I'd love to see them (and others) address:

The first relates to matters of political philosophy. Developing a rational vision of and for the Black community will require ridding ourselves of obsolete and malign categories. This starts with a new thinking that is more inclusive of Black women and females in positions of authority. We (Black women) come with an entirely different kind of energy and points of view. IMHO this is critical in resurrecting a vision of hope and faith in the face of the spiritual nihilism and material decay in our inner cities. Also, guys like "suave_bro" and "3X" need to reassess their understanding of social and political equality, reconsider the meaning of freedom in a post-Civil Rights era, examine the implications of secularization for Black culture, politics, and social thought.

For example take the issue of equality. After the Supreme Court announced its 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education, Thurgood Marshall told the New York Times that, as a result of the decision, school segregation would be stamped out within five years, and all segregation within seven. The assumption reflected and reinforced an integrationist conception of racial equality that I see when I read some of "suave_bro's" messages. The integrationist idea was that the American racial system would be replaced with civil and political equality only through racial integration of schools, neighborhoods, and businesses, unlike the competing nationalist conception (3X). For decades the integrationist conception of racial equality has dominated the nationalist alternative. This is where I see the divide between "suave_bro" and "3X".

In my experience, skin color still determines life chances. Millions of Blacks continue to be excluded from American life: segregated residentially, educationally, and politically. Moreover, racial barriers show no signs of falling, and affirmative action is all but dead. We all need to rethink our identification of racial equality with integration, and reopen dialog about a sensible nationalist conception of racial equality. The divide between folks like "suave_bro" and "3X" does nothing but create barriers for Black folks to get together.