Guess who (isn't) coming to dinner | Eur Ing Dr James P. Howard II Guess who (isn’t) coming to dinner | Eur Ing Dr James P. Howard II

Dr James P. Howard, II
A Mathematician, a Different Kind of Mathematician, and a Statistician

image representing a theme in this article

Guess who (isn't) coming to dinner

Following the murder of Michael Brown by Darren Wilson, a recurring theme has been that whites do not understand. A typical example of the genre, from the Atlantic explains that our society has self segregated to the point, nobody sees any conflicting views of the world:

Overall, the social networks of whites are a remarkable 91 percent white.* White American social networks are only one percent black, one percent Hispanic, one percent Asian or Pacific Islander, one percent mixed race, and one percent other race.

So this Thanksgiving, I propose something new, but not really new. The American tradition is the first Thanksgiving was a shared feast between the Pilgrim settlers and the native Wampanoag of Plymouth Bay. This Thanksgiving, we should share our feast with someone not like us. Invite a family of a different race, or color, or nationality to enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner with you. Share traditional foods with each other. Share stories with each other. And for once, treat each other as human. Just one day this year.

Image by Columbia Pictures.