Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet and hopefully we shall overcome.

If we talk about the environment for example we have to talk about environmental racism - about the fact that kids in South Central Los Angeles have a third of the lung capacity of kids in Santa Monica.

Racism cannot be cured solely by attacking some of the results it produces like discrimination in housing or in education.

Our theme for this year's festivities Dreams and Challenges of Asian Pacific Americans speaks to the many generations of Asian Pacific Americans who worked hard to overcome economic hardship racism and other barriers in their pursuit of the American dream.

My dad worked two jobs and moved us to the suburbs and just being a black person I went through a lot of racism and being called names and being bullied every single day. And it was hard. I didn't have any friends.

I came back from university thinking I knew all about politics and racism not knowing my dad had been one of the youngest-serving Labour councillors in the town and had refused to work in South Africa years ago because of the situation there. And he's never mentioned it - you just find out. That's a real man to me. A sleeping lion.

What I've always said is that I'm opposed to institutional racism and I would've had I've been alive at the time I think had the courage to march with Martin Luther King to overturn institutional racism and I see no place in our society for institutional racism.

Racism is taught in the home. We agree on that? Well it's very hard to teach racism to a teenager who's listening to rap music and who idolizes say Snoop Dogg. It's hard to say 'That guy is less than you.' The kid is like 'I like that guy he's cool. How is he less than me?

If a man like Malcolm X could change and repudiate racism if I myself and other former Muslims can change if young whites can change then there is hope for America.

Racism has been for everyone like a horrible tragic car crash and we've all been heavily sedated from it. If we don't come into consciousness of this tragedy there's going to be a violent awakening we don't want. The question is can we wake up?