I agree. Now let me ask where, in your opinion, is "the forefront of efforts to combat racism"? What little I know of psychology teaches me that people change when they are on the edge of their comfort zone, not when they are pushed completely out of it. This requires understanding the person, not just the situation. I have never openly addressed the question of race in my Lodge. I fear that there are too many Brothers who would panic and become openly hostile. However, Once when I read the poem "If" by Brother Rudyard Kipling in Lodge I did include the following quote from his biography written in 1885:
"I was Secretary for some years of the Lodge of Hope and Perseverance No. 782, English Constitution which included Brethren of at least four different creeds. I was entered by a member of the Brahmo Samaj (a Hindu), passed by a Mohammedan, and raised by an Englishman. Our Tyler was an Indian Jew."
Now may be pretty subtle, but it was all that some of the Brothers in my Lodge could handle. Confrontation may change laws but it is not always the best way to change minds. For many years I refused to petition my fathers Grand Lodge because of its open (if unwritten) acceptance of racism. After the G.L. officially changed their policy I petitioned for membership. Sometimes when I hear comments or jokes my contribution is as simple as "That hasn't been my experience" or "I don't think that's funny".
There is a great line in the movie "The Butler" when Cecil Gaines son admits rather shamefacedly that his father is a butler and he is told:
"Young brother, the black domestic defy racial stereotypes by being hardworking and trustworthy. He slowly tears down racial hatred with his example of a strong work ethic and dignified character. Now, while we perceive the butler or the maid to be subservient, in many ways they are subversive, without even knowing it."
The word subversive means "to change secretly from within". I believe that is how peoples hearts are changed. It is where I believe I am most effective.