Post from Refugio Valle, MSW '11, who is attending the "Race in America" conference at the University of Pittsburgh: "The Road to Freedom: From Alabama to Obama" Julian Bond, Chairman Emeritus, NAACP; social activist; leader in American Civil Rights Movement; politician; professor; and writer “Race in America” got off to a terrific start with a rousing keynote address from Julian Bond. Mr. Bond made connections between critical moments in the history of race relations, from slavery and reconstruction, to the Jim Crow South and the Civil Rights Movement, to the present state of race relations in America, pointing out how far we’ve come and yet how little we’ve moved. Mr. Bond rightfully pointed out the contradiction of the argument that race relations will only get better when we stop talking about race. To paraphrase his words, the only way we can deal with race is by going to race. In this spirit, Mr. Bond also encouraged the collaboration between communities of color in dealing with issues of race rather than division and fighting over the scraps. An inspirational start to what promises to be a great few days of exchanging knowledge.