Unfortunately, as long as racism exists, we must still talk about race. But we can change the way we do that. For example, when I draft a complaint for employment discrimination, I do not say "Plaintiff is African-American." Rather, I say "Plaintiff is perceived as 'Black.'" That more accurately describes what I am trying to correct. My client was not discriminated against because of what they are, but what they were perceived to be.

Similarly, we must continue to measure "race" statistics, in order to see if we are making progress, or if there are still problems. For example, if the lower-paid classifications at a workplace are 60% Black, but the higher-paid classifications are 60% white - there is a problem. If I am to prove discrimination, I must use these statistics to do so.

We are far from a "post-racial" society. We can't change that by ignoring "race." But we can change it by the way we look at it.