Ugh--this is not a racial problem.<p>Lots of people of all different races--including white--use pronunciation and vernacular that differs significantly from the typical Midwestern speaker. I interact regularly with Caucasians that I can barely understand myself, let alone asking a typical commercial speech recognition system. On the flip side, quite a few black people speak in a manner that is indistinguishable from other races.<p>Universal recognition is the real problem to be solved. We want <i>everyone</i> to be understood.