PBS ran a special on Marvin Gaye the other day, and I watched it. Charismatic guy with a string of hits in the 1970s. His father shot him to death on April 1, 1984, one day before his 45th birthday.

As a White suburban kid, Motown was my transistor favorite, and Gaye was under that Berry Gordy umbrella. I was (and still am today) partial to The Four Tops. "Are You Man Enough" and "Keeper of the Castle" are my favorites. Lead singer, the late Levi Stubbs, was the best.

Back in the 70s, Black and White Americans shared entertainment, especially music and TV. Sitcoms like "The Jeffersons," "Sanford and Son," and
"Good Times" transcended skin color. We all watched and enjoyed the same shows.

Same with pop. Smokey Robinson, Mr. Gaye, and Diana Ross were celebrated everywhere.

Today, that kind of uniformity is gone.

A few weeks ago, I went to a Kool and the Gang concert. Mostly white crowd. African-Americans now have their own entertainment industry led by hip-hop. Whites have country music and classic rock. Black audiences enjoy black comedians. Whites like their Caucasian guys and gals.

On TV, same thing. Black-themed programs and White-dominated displays. A little crossover but not much.

I don't listen to rap or comics whose vocabularies center around the M-F phrase. Blacks don't often listen to Jimmy Buffet or Sebastian Maniscalco.

So, races divide. Cultures are vastly different. One Nation Under God?

Not so much.

Enjoy the weekend.