making different friends

The Same Kind of Different as Me was a book right up my alley. A true story about the relationship between a modern-day slave and an international art dealer, the book is an amazing authentic depiction of what can happen when the boundaries of race and economic class are overcome through love. Following the book there is an interview between the two men. In partial response to the question, "What three things can we do to bridge the societal gaps that exist in our culture today?" Ron Hall, the white rich art dealer says, that "we must move beyond our comfort zones and make a friends of a different race and socioeconomic group and be accountable to them"

This seems like simple advice, but I am sorry to say with the exception of one friend of another race (not socioeconomic class), I don't have anyone close to me who I can honestly say is a close friend. Yes, there are people I care about that fit this description (the three homeless friends I see every week for instance) but I cannot say that any of the people in life who are closest to me are of a different race and socioeconomic group. This was not a conscious choice, but I now want to be intentional about making choices that change this reality. I am under no illusions that this will be easy.