Once again, America finds itself facing civil disobedience, uprisings and tragically violent riots as a result of bitter racial conflict. I not only lament the deaths of the multitude of men, women and children that have occurred as a result of this, but I also mourn the murder of two of New York City's finest.

The election of the first bi-ethnic president in 2004 was hoped by many to have moved America to a post "racial" era. Yet, in recent surveys, Americans expressed a worsening of relations between the ever-growing minority and shrinking majority groups. There are African-Americans and Latinos who still fear and experience the sting of abuse of power by some officers and/or departments.

In cities across the country, Ferguson, Mo.; New York City; Cleveland; and others, recent deaths of black men at the hands of police reminds everyone that America has not resolved its racist legacy in any meaningful way.

That is not to say there has not been progress. Clearly the election of President Barack Obama, the appointment of Eric Holder to U.S. Attorney General, and the many other men and women of color holding high office in the federal, state, and local governments is significant. This progress has not changed the lives of many blacks and Latinos living in the United States. Poverty, economic instability, limited educational opportunities and, more insidiously, the abuse of power by some police officers and departments decry those advances. These abuses taint the heroic and compassionate work the vast majority of America's police perform every day.

We need to have a serious dialogue about race, because it still matters. We cannot allow our cultural, ethnic, political and/or philosophical differences to continue to delay this conversation, just as we cannot allow those differences from ensuring just laws are passed and enforced equitably. Truth and justice trumps ethnicity.

To fulfill our duties as citizens of this nation, our authentic selves and cultural uniqueness is required for this dialogue. As we search for solutions, many of the previously tried remedies will surface: cultural sensitivity training, better minority recruitment efforts and stricter accountability of police and the criminal justice system. We cannot allow these alone to be acceptable because, historically, America's attention will drift away from this crisis to another.

Emblazoned on our country's great seal are the words e pluribus unum, which means "out of many, one," a phrase that is just as relevant now as it was in 1776 when it was suggested by Pierre Eugene du Simitiere, the artistic consultant for the committee established by the Founding Fathers to craft the seal. Out of many ethnicities, we can forge one nation but only if we embrace, celebrate and honor our differences and recognize our similarities. This is America's common ground.