
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 17, 1993                   TAG: 9306180393
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-14   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

`SENSITIVITY TRAINING' BEGINS AT HOME

WHILE visiting my husband recently at the Botetourt Correctional Camp, "KKK" was carved into the seat of my family's car. We're an interracial family. The offender could have been another visitor or an officer, and obviously wasn't familiar with the Golden Rule.

Less remote parking spaces or better security may have been a deterrent; however, this hate crime is symptomatic of a bigger problem in today's society. Racism and power hunger are rampant in this country, not excepting the Department of Corrections, though officials assure me their staff receives "sensitivity training."

"Sensitivity" is new terminology for common decency. If parents teach their children respect for all by proper example, groundwork is laid for them to grow into sensitive adults. Racism is learned behavior and cyclical in nature (as equally detestable domestic violence is). We make a difference by stopping the cycle in this generation for the children's sake. Bitterness only poisons the next generation, and I want a kinder, safer world for our children. LINDA PERKINS KERNERSVILLE, N.C.

by CNB