I feel uncomfortable using the words "Black" or "White" or any of the other racial labels for human beings. It feels dirty, as if just saying the word is racist. That is because it is. There is no such thing as "Black" and "White" people. But there is certainly such a thing as racism, which involves the artificial categorization of people into these labels.

Unfortunately, to fight racism, we must use these labels. As a lawyer, I often bring charges of discrimination in employment. In drafting a complaint, I do not allege that "Plaintiff is Black." Rather, I will allege that "Plaintiff is perceived as Black." That is really the problem I am trying to address - that my client was discriminated not because of what they are, but because of how they were perceived.

I am especially uncomfortable with making generalizations about "White" or "Black" or any other label. I like your final point, that "Connection is empathy, knowledge, a dedication to working to understand, a sharing of experiences. Labeling people creates barriers to those goals. Our job should be to take down those barriers and open, rather than close, our perspective.