“Oh yeah, there’s a training program in Richmond around that.” Derrick nodded.

Abe held firm. “What they need are good union jobs," he continued. "But they’re trying to tear down unions right now. But a union job is the best job you can get.”

"I know about unions," said Derrick. "I was in line for a union job, but a Mexican got it instead and he didn’t even speak English."

Abe responded, "You better be happy that he had that union job, or he’d be working for less and we’d all be hurting. Don’t go slamming the unions. It’s those corporations that are getting all that money that we should be mad at."

"Well we’ve got to give Brotha President some time to work it out." Derrick said.

"Yeah, well I don’t have time," said Abe, who grabbed his coffee and turned to go back outside, where the shopping cart I see him push around town was parked.

With that, Derrick jumped on the #18 bus. And I went to work with street economics on my mind.

This sure wasn’t a panel of ivory-tower economists or talking heads on CNN. It was better. These were real people, dealing with real issues of race and the economy. Derrick’s concerns about access, and Abe’s sense of urgency aren’t one-line zingers on a talking points memo. They are rooted daily anxieties about paying the rent or spending a yet another night on the cold pavement.

But in the mix was a sense of struggle, hope and reflection, and that’s powerful. Contrary to what the “experts” say, these are people who talk about race and (insert the issue of the day) all of the time. They say their piece, listen, respond and walk away thinking about what the other person had to say. It’s a conversation that issue advocates, policy analysts and media gurus devalue and often duck altogether. Turning a deaf ear on race means that they can’t hear the real debate on the issues. And that’s why they wrong more often than not.