A lot of attention has been paid to the controversy over the arrest of Professor Henry Louis Gates of Harvard by Sergeant James Crowley, and the intervention by President Obama, which led to the so called Beer Summit at the White House.
Despite all the criticism of Obama, I think we can say that the Beer Summit had a positive impact, and it shows with the statements now made by Gates that he hoped he and Crowley could go to lunch, or go to a Red Sox or Celtics game, or have both families get together for dinner. Gates even joked that he would help to get Crowley’s children into Harvard if Crowley promised not to arrest him again. LOL
Despite all of the horrible recriminations visited on Obama by disgraceful conservative talk show hosts and the looney extremists in emails and online comments on news sites,  I think the whole situation, while regrettable that it ever happened in the first place, can be seen as a "teaching moment" as Obama termed it, and hopefully the relationship between the races can be improved over time, as it is essential to promote civil discourse and good will if this nation is to move forward as it becomes more multi racial and multi ethnic, as the Census Bureau predicts will happen in the next 30 years.Â
We have no choice but to accept differences in a way that can unite us, rather than divide us.