<p>About 10 years ago, I had a nightly radio show in Los Angeles with an African-American co-host. The hot issue of the day was -- surprise -- illegal immigration.</p>
<p>One night, we were arguing about whether immigrants take jobs away from African-Americans. I insisted that they didn't and that there were a lot of jobs that blacks wouldn't take. My co-host challenged me to name one. OK, I said, bearing in mind the historical context: "How about picking cotton?"</p>