As I was writing this column from San Diego, a news flash came on announcing that a conference sponsored by the University of Southern California was experiencing problems. The conference was meant to bring together thought leaders, business people, and those involved in African-U.S. relations, and the news story reported that the conference proceeded despite the fact that every single speaker and delegate from Africa could not attend since they were unable to obtain visas. Photos of the conference showed three to four people in a large conference room. Most of the American attendees failed to show once they knew that none of the African delegates would be there.