Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, October 17, 1995 TAG: 9510170058
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Public-opinion polls, for example, show a gulf separating the reactions of white and black Americans to the verdict in the O. J. Simpson murder trial. Racially identifiable neighborhoods remain the rule rather than the exception, including in the Roanoke Valley. Affirmative-action programs are under attack, and the U.S. Supreme Court this year ruled against a federal set-aside program for minority contractors and against making race a primary consideration in drawing congressional districts.
Some also see racial overtones in public interest in welfare reform and in tougher punishment of crime. Although more whites than blacks are on welfare, and more whites than blacks are in prisons, blacks are disproportionately represented in both groups - just as blacks are disproportionately represented as victims of crime.
In Washington on Monday, black men marched as a message of unity. But critics noted the contrast with the civil-rights marches that, in an earlier era, welcomed black women and whites, and they questioned the appropriateness of Louis Farrakhan as its principal organizer.
But against what some regard as a pattern in recent years of setbacks in race relations, others offer positive signs. A black middle class now appears firmly rooted in the American economic mainstream. In politics, interest in Colin Powell as a potential presidential candidate appears to transcend racial lines.
What do you think? What can we do to improve race relations in Southwest Virginia and the nation? We'd like to hear your opinions. We'll publish a selection of your responses.
Please send your letters of 300 words or less, by Thursday, Oct. 26. Include your address and (for verification only) a telephone number where you can be reached during the day.
Mail: Readers Forum
c/o Editorial Department
Roanoke Times
P.O. Box 2491
Roanoke, VA 24010
Fax: 540-981-3326.
E-mail: responseinfi.net
by CNB