America’s much ballyhooed conversation about race is, well, not going so hot. When we’re not calling each other racists, we’re patting each other on the back for being colorblind–a fancy word for ignoring race in the hopes it’ll just go away. Rarely are we addressing the structural problems that make race matter by creating inequity. But the Colorlines.com community knows all that. Which is why we want to hear from our young community members about how they’re changing the debate.

ENTER TO WIN A CHANCE TO KEYNOTE AT CAMPUS PROGRESS

Here’s the question we’re asking you:

In your own life, how are you changing the rules of our race conversation, and creating real solutions for racial and social justice?

If you are 18 to 30 years old, submit a 1-3 minute video of yourself speaking your mind, and you could win a free trip to D.C. and opportunity to address over 1,000 attendees at the 2011 Campus Progress National Conference on July 6. Go to the National Keynote Contest website for simple instructions on how to submit your video.

Videos submitted will be featured on a YouTube page where the public will vote next month. After voting is closed, Campus Progress and Colorlines.com staff will pick the three grand prize winners from among the top five most popular submissions.

Last year’s winners included an undocumented student activist on immigration, a young man once caught up in gang violence who now advocates for peace, and a first-generation college student working to bring involve young people in policy debates that impact their lives. 

The 2011 Campus Progress National Conference will center on the theme "Turning Truth to Power," emphasizing ways in which young people are turning their vision of a better world into a strong, progressive youth movement.