Chuk and cavortingcheeteah.....
What do you know! Sometimes logic, rhetoric, dry humour and a little bit of history teaches some truths that are so basic and yet easily missed in our quest for self preservation. That is:
"Being human means our lives, (past, present and future) are somewhat inextricably linked".
Some of us will always remain grateful to all who defied inhuman norms and put themselves in harms way, that all humans should be treated justly and fairly. A lot of good men and women (of all colours) paid with their lives so that others may live.
Cavortingcheetah your great great grand uncle is one of such heroes. People like him still inspire people to redress the wrongs that still plague our societies. We may not achieve it in our lifetime, but we'll definitely not sit by and watch.
I believe many share the sentiments echoed by Edmund Burke; (paraphrased) "evil thrives (continually), only when good people do nothing".
It's has more to do our with our individual and collective perception, than colour of our skins.
To all contributing to this thread, many thanks for your input no matter how incongruent or dissonant our views may seem, there's always a lesson to be learned.