C.P. Ellis

Ellis's story does offer a credible way to overcome an individual's misunderstanding and hatred towards other races. By speaking with others of that race, by working with them in close proximity on an issue that goes beyond race, one can come to realize that the similarities between us far outweigh the differences. C.P. said that he only began to open up his mind when he talked with Jews or blacks one on one "eyeball to eyeball." When he was forced to work with the black woman he so hated on a project for the school, which transcended race relations even as it involved them, he realized the common ground he shared with her. Only by encountering situations in which you must work for a common goal with people you  hate can you overcome your unreasoning hatred. With a mind willing to be opened and these experiences, you can work past differences and become something better. This cannot work on a large scale simply because his story represents an individual's journey. A group cannot take that journey, but the battle must be won person by person. Only by making personal connections can racism be overcome like it was in C.P. Ellis.