Do you ever try to write a simple note and find that it eludes you even after many drafts?

So it goes with me today.

Actually, this is not really a note but an invitation to an informal tête- à -têtes.

If you could just imagine that you are sitting in front of the TV or over a newspaper with your best buddy when you see or read something that sets you off. You voice this in a way that exhibits what you truly believe about the topic at hand. You uphold it with examples presented in a passionate (slightly overexcited) manner but you leave plenty of room for an alternate point of view to be expressed so the two of you won't have to stop talking for good.

That's the kind of talk we want to hear – and we want to hear it about the article we have attached from the most recent issue.

The thing is that, ever since we interviewed Lani Guinier — I have been thinking about what she proposes in the article–a new and (she says) potentially far more effective way for us working in nonprofits of every stripe to approach race and power issues in this country.

At first I thought her proposal might be a bit too simplistic and then I realized I was thinking quite often about what she said and at the oddest times. I was beginning to use her language. She had captured something in my imagination and experience that held promise.

I'm interested to hear if you feel the same.

We have invited a few other friends to get the conversation started but we want to hear from you, in particular. So read the featured article by Lani Guinier, “Tracking the Miner’s Canary,” and join us in the NPQ Learning Center on-line discussion.  Also check out the “Recommended Resources” we’ve included with this issue of our e-Newsletter.