After last week's killings of black men by police in Minnesota and Louisiana and the murders of five police officers by a black sniper during a protest in Dallas, Texas, racial tensions in America no longer can be shrugged off.

This Editorial Board said a national conversation is needed about racial disparity — a conversation that leads to real change.

Now we ask readers to join the discussion by responding to our Question of the Week: Is there a solution to the racial divide in the United States?

How serious do you think the divide is?

Do you agree with President Obama's statement, "America is not as divided as some have suggested"?

Was former congressional leader Newt Gingrich right to say most white people underestimate the discrimination and risk blacks face?

Is the divide a matter of racial groups' different perceptions and politics, or a reflection of real economic inequality and mistreatment of blacks by law enforcement?

Do those who respond to the Black Lives Matter movement by saying "All Lives Matter" make a valid point, or are they diminishing the importance of issues facing minority groups?

Here in Southern California, what is the state of relations between races? What do you see and hear?

Are race relations in the United States getting better or worse? Is the issue intractable?

If there's a solution, what is it?

REPINRTED FROM THE ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH

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