During a televised fundraiser for Hurricane Katrina victims on Friday night, Kanye West went off script. Boy, did he go off script. Note how Mike Myers demonstrated that he needs a refresher course in basic improv.

Let's face it - West said what a lot of people have been thinking. One of the things that he mentioned is writing about black people with food they had "looted" and of white people with food they had "found". The issue has been discussed in much depth, including by the New York Times.

Race and class are huge and often undiscussed issues in this country. As writers, we get to talk about them, but how? Here are a few starting points. Richard Prince of the Maynard Institute has many sharp observations on covering diversity. Jodi Rave discusses covering Native American Indian issues for Poynter. Princeton University's library has this guide to researching social class.

We're all in this together, so let's write about each other accurately and respectfully.