<p>A close relative and her husband are educated professionals, but lead quite “provincial” lives centered around their own set of friends and acquaintances who are long-time residents of their almost totally white community (actually in the same county where I live). In contrast, my husband and I are friends with and work with people of many backgrounds and from many different nations. Recently, my relative told me she and her husband had attended a party given by the mother of her child’s friend. Apparently the woman works for a large corporation and also invited her coworkers. “It was a very diverse party,” my relative told me in excitement. “There was a black person there and an Indian couple and a…” I was thinking to myself that this just sounds like a typical group of friends to me. It is pretty amazing how different people’s perspectives living in the same area and with a similar level of education can be.</p>