As an African-American male, feelings of isolation and hostility abounded during my years at the College. Misrepresentations of historical contributions of my forefathers and foremothers permeated my "classical" education and gave ongoing foundation to the insanity of racial reasoning that dominated daily interactions.

I had two roommates, however, who had a dramatic impact on my life. Both were white, one gay and the other straight. They were both very cool and proved that--though they may have passively benefitted from the idiosyncrasies of white privilege--they were good people.

Today I think of them fondly as I see through the smokescreen of racial bias to view the "whoever dies with the most toys wins" economics of market-driven capitalism, and I know that creating opportunity for others should not be a by-product of active participation in a democratic society, but both a goal and a mandate.

In the end, goodness and leaving the world in a better shape than we found it is a mandate shared by all races, religions, ethnic groups, and sexual orientations.

So my social life at Columbia taught me to value and respect difference, which allows all of us to know and accept both each other and ourselves, and I thank my roommates for opening my mind to this reality.