Less about race

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

My mother and I used our AAA card to help a woman and her 87-year-old grandmother get into the grandmother's van, which had the keys locked inside. Both women were African American, and my mother and I are both white.

When someone needs help, I'm color blind about it, but I don't always help people, either.

With all of the media hype about race and racism, I still don't know a single white racist. I think that all of my friends and family would also ignore race were they to consider helping someone in need.

Perhaps I'm just an optimist, but I believe that each successive generation of people becomes more racially accepting of each other, and I doubt that media hype can change that.

James B. Eastin

Salt Lake City