I would not call us a “nation of cowards” as Eric Holder did. I think it is too harsh and too sweeping of an assessment. But, the truth is that we don’t talk about race in the most productive or honest ways. When we’re face-to-face, Americans don’t generally talk about race in a manner that would lead us toward building bridges instead of exploding them. We either fume silently or bully with accusation. That is why I created this All About Race site two years ago, and why I am moving into providing services that help people talk about race productively, honestly and without shame. There are certainly some honest conversations happening here and all over the place in the blogosphere. But even tucked away behind our keyboards, blind accusation and gross generalization plague “discussions” of almost every racial issue that comes up. When people disagree they all too quickly and frequently resort to name calling and refuse to entertain opposing or even tangential points of view. When challenged, many just cling to their original position more tightly.

With that said, I agree with the underlying sentiment of what our new Attorney General, Eric Holder had to say:

“Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and I believe continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards,” said Holder, nation’s first black attorney general.

Race issues continue to be a topic of political discussion, Holder said, but “we, as average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about race.”

He urged people of all races to use Black History Month as a chance for honest discussion of racial matters, including issues of health care, education, and economic disparities.

Race “is an issue we have never been at ease with and, given our nation’s history, this is in some ways understandable,” Holder said. “If we are to make progress in this area, we must feel comfortable enough with one another and tolerant enough of each other to have frank conversations about the racial matters that continue to divide us.”

He told hundreds of Justice Department employees gathered for the event that they have a special responsibility to advance racial understanding.

Even when people mix at the workplace or afterwork social events, Holder argued, many Americans in their free time are still segregated inside what he called “race-protected cocoons.”

“Saturdays and Sundays, America in the year 2009 does not in some ways differ significantly from the country that existed almost 50 years ago. This is truly sad,” said Holder. Source

We don’t have to all agree with each other. I do not believe we can ever “erase racism” and I believe “colorblindness” is not something to aspire to. Instead, I see the need to engage in honest, dynamic, specific conversations about real racial issues that continue to divide us in our day-to-day interactions. Now, more than ever name calling, gross generalizations and throwing the r-word “racist” around is not going to get us anywhere we need to be on the path of ensuring our nation’s future success.

This post originally appeared on All About Race.