Memo to white people: If you're still this uncomfortable talking about race, you're not helping D. Watkins 01.02.2017•2:00 PM "It's 2016, so why can't we have a real conversation about race?" This is a question I have asked myself often over the last year. It frequently finds its way into my social settings, uninvited but still dominating, like that pebble in your running sneaker. "Can I start you off with a drink?" asked the bartender in a near-empty restaurant across from the campus where I

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... ach. I was celebrating the end of the semester. I had just marked a zillion papers and entered final grades -some As, a lot of Bs, a couple Cs and even three Fs. "A glass of champagne? Vodka mixed with champagne, anything champagne?" I replied. The guy next to me laughed, dropping his book on to the floor. I reached down, picked it up and handed it to him. "Thank you," he said. "I love your drinking choices. You're my kind of guy!" He was white and thin and wore thick-framed glasses. Dude looked like a coach or an Old Navy model, all fleeced and boot-cut.