Comments by affirmative debaters in the July 15 Braver Angels national debate:

“It does a disservice to the depth of experiences [by the nation’s numerous groups and tribes] that racism is not one one of the things that has to be overcome.”

--Luke Nathan Phillips

“One of the things I’d have to agree with is America is changing.” …

[Question: Who is America’s first black president?]

“Technically, Barack Obama’s mother was not black. (Thus) he was white. … But one drop of blood in the South [before the Civil Rights Act] protected [white] property rights.”

--Russell Ballew

“I absolutely believe you can love your country and love your heritage and believe America is racist, just as you can love your family if they’re racist. There can be no reasonable argument that America was not a racist nation to at least the late 1960s. … The burden of proof is on everybody who believes things are different now.”

--Silas Kulkarni

“Is America a racist nation? My answer is ‘yes,’ and our story is not finished. … But unfortunately, race continues to be part of legislation [restrictive voting bills in Georgia, Texas, etc.] … The legacy of racism, while it is less overt than in the past, continues to be real … Indifference to the plight of others contributes to racial indifference [rather than] racial justice. …”

--Bruce MacKenzie