What could a social change movement accomplish—in force, imagination and concrete change—if it bridged the racial divide that fissures its organizations and dilutes its potential?

It is, at first glance, an enormous question, persistent in its urgency, devastating in its scope. History asserts that in its lifetime, our country has seen a populace at its cruel worst and, in response, its most inspired. For every gross injustice—a trailblazer, a remarkable step towards freedom. At its best, it dreams of broad acceptance, fairness and opportunity on the job, in our schools, among our families, through the media and under the law, regardless of race, class, sexuality, gender identity or gender. Yet without question, in every facet of our national life, its effects remain—and our lives, organizations and social change movements stumble in their advances. And for those with multitudinous lives, notably lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people of color, the confounding challenges are monumental, often entwined. What then, we ask, is our responsibility? Because enormous is not impossible. And a question posed is an idea revealed. This is a question for our times.

And these are the questions for our sector.