Create universal mandatory service in the military or a service organization for a minimum of eighteen months.

A diverse cross section of Americans working toward a common goal creates bonds of mutual respect and understanding that overcome natural tendencies to separate along racial or social lines. Military service is a good example of how people from different backgrounds can connect in friendships that last a lifetime. However, the military is not the only avenue to achieve these results. Any service organization can get to the same place. If a generation of Americans each served eighteen months working toward on meaningful projects alongside a cross section of the population, those citizens would be more understanding of each other and more capable of settling pressing issues related to race, gender and financial inequality.