Trying to fill the chairs at the table of brotherhood where skin colour, religious persuasion, or political differences, are cast aside to share common values of the human experience, remains a challenge for Bermuda.

The late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who toiled through vicious acts of racism in his quest to steer America to the high ground of social acceptance, knew the struggle would be a supreme test of inner commitment and unshakable determination.

Even with considerable progress over the years in race relations, efforts should continue to eliminate negative hurdles that often make it more difficult to reach the brotherhood table Dr. King alluded to, in his famous 'I have a dream' speech. Of course his hope was that his vision of that table would not remain a mere dream.

Mindful that such an achievement was not likely in his lifetime he forcefully drove the message home, that such a goal should never be abandoned despite numerous setbacks.

When reflecting on the sacrifices made over the years by courageous blacks and whites to eradicate racial injustice, it is apparent that real change must take place in our hearts and minds. The America Civil War, which claimed many thousands of lives, was a direct result of one group of Americans who refused to accept a nation where every citizen regardless of skin colour would be free to enjoy the full fruits of the land.

Even with the abolition of slavery, there would be a long bumpy road ahead involving many tragic events, resulting from deeply rooted hatred by those who could not embrace such a change. Despite a long dark night of struggle, the bright side to all of this is that today there are black and white children learning, playing and working together in a bright light of mutual understanding.

This emerging generation could very well represent the new order of social acceptance in the world of tomorrow, where skin colour would have no significance in assessing a persons character. There is no denial that race has been a factor in our Bermuda history. However, not to acknowledge tremendous progress in recent decades would not only be wrong but counter productive. We must move collectively away from negative attitudes in order to walk into a new chapter of social harmony.

This is why any conversation big or small on the subject of race can only be productive if honesty, respect and willingness to be humble are ingredients at every discussion. Most would agree that efforts to promote a better climate of cultural understanding should be encouraged. But the subject itself can be a sensitive process and must be handled with dignity.

If negative tones are allowed to dominate, instead of bringing people together the gap of mistrust and misunderstanding widens pushing that table further away.

There will always be those on both sides of the issue who prefer to remain in their own little corners instead of stepping into the new world of diversity. Of course we know change never comes overnight.

Many Bermudians these days are concerned about the direction of the country, with almost non-stop gang violence that has touched just about every part of Bermuda. Plus, Bermuda is facing numerous social problems which officials must tackle, while trying to keep tourism alive and our international business intact.

Despite these challenges, we must continue to build on our positives.

We are proud to have young Bermudians, black and white, working to educate themselves in order to play a positive role in Bermuda's future.

With our small population there is no reason we should not be the showpiece for the world when we think of that brotherhood table Dr. King saw as a goal all good societies should strive for.

The greatest gift we can give to the incoming generation is a Bermuda alive in the true spirit of togetherness. Maybe then the table of brotherhood will have no empty chairs.