Blitzer Launches 'Dialogues' with Census Discussion

Calling Atlanta ideally suited for the series of social-topic discussions he was launching, Wolf Blitzer moderated the Wednesday night inaugural event in the "CNN Dialogues" series of social-themed discussions.

The evening's topic was “The 2010 Census and a New America,” but the focus was more about social perceptions than political maneuvering.

Sharing not only their opinions but also their personal experiences were "The Girl Who Fell From the Sky" author Heidi Durrow, actor Edward James Olmos, "Survivor" winner and host of PBS’ "America Revealed" Yul Kwon, University of Maryland sociology and demography professor Kris Marsh and American Studies professor Dana White.

The increase in the Latin cultural influence, rise in Asian economic power, they said, now must be added to the mix of traditional bi-racial social disussions in the United States.

"Race is a unifying word. We are all the human race, and if we don't start using it that way, we're going to have a problem," Olmos said.

While applauding the Census expansion of categories for racial self-identification, Marsh said, "The Census does the best job it can, but what you self-report is different from how people see you, how you are perceived."

One audience member, an Emory student who said she had been educated at a prep school in Boston, asked the panel how she could balance her desire to express her cultural identity with the social impression she feels expected to make.

Dana paused, then said, "Girl, I got up and straightened my hair this morning. ... We're relying on your generation to help us change."

Audience members also commented that healthcare and economic disparities were significant challenges.

The James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference at Emory University and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights jointly organized the event.

The next two dialogues to be held this year will be "Social Media: Are We Living in the Now?" at Morehouse College on Oct. 13 and "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender: Has More Openness Led to More Acceptance?" at the Woodruff Memorial Arts Center in December.

Profits from ticket sales will support the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and the James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference at Emory University.