Recently that great and noble sage, Senator Lindsey Graham, who may be my least favorite of the many shabby Trump acolytes, made the pronouncement that America is not a racist country. After laughing convulsively, I realized that he was speaking for far too many people who are still in desperate denial of the obvious facts.

When I came to America at 26, over 40 years ago, I was overwhelmed by the kind of denial I met in every class of the obvious dreadful racism that contaminates every aspect of American life. And one of the things I regret the most in my vocation as a spiritual teacher is how few African Americans I have had the privilege to reach.

In the first decade of my real teaching which began in my forties, I had the grace and good fortune to be invited several times to progressive black churches. I was amazed at the kind of reception my passionate style received. Instead of looking over a sea of frightened white faces, I heard “Say it, say it! Go for it!” And I would always ...