Program Note: In the next installment of CNN’s Black in America series, Soledad O’Brien examines the successes, struggles and complex issues faced by black men, women and families, 40 years after the death of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Watch encore presentation Saturday & Sunday, 8 p.m. ET

We devote several days on the blog to smart insight and commentary related to the special.
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Editor’s note: Lou Gossett Jr. has focused recently on ‘an all-out conscientious offensive against racism.’ Lou says “Violence is a war, and the energy we exert on war, I would like to pray that energy gets reverted back to a communal effort to save the planet.’”He shares his thoughts here:

Lou Gossett Jr.
Actor

The planet is dying or dramatically changing. Hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis are taking their toll on humanity. We need to drop everything and pay attention to the planet. This should be our number one agenda - not issues like racism or our ethnic differences. It’s like we are all in a plane at 30 thousand feet plummeting to the ground, and the people inside are fighting over who will be in first class.

Perhaps we need to go back to where we started. The most important commodity on the planet is not oil, or military might or other riches; on the contrary our single most important commodity is our children.

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