I suppose that my main takeaway from the course would be what I learned from reading the James Baldwin lecture and letter: the importance of writing with specific audiences in mind, and how to choose which audience to address with purpose. In the letter, the intimacy and familiarity with which he writes allows him to examine the more personal nature of racism. Meanwhile, the lecture, which he begins by appealing to authority, and then expanding more broadly on the systemic issues of racism. The attention paid to the audience is a crucial part of writing with the desire to create social change. 

My question would be, related to the Layli Long Soldier reading, would be how to translate the takeaways of this class into official writing. While there could never have been an apology on behalf of the federal government that would have fully healed the wounds of history, how could documents like it, moving forward, make strides towards better and more effective writing?