‘National Conversation On Race’ Produces Few Sparks Clinton Finds Few Dissenting Voices Among 67-Member Panel

With the allotted time already expired for his town hall meeting here, President Clinton tried to jolt his “national conversation on race” to life Wednesday by confronting one of his most prominent critics on racial preferences.

For 90 minutes, the president had perched on his chair with microphone in hand and paced back and forth talk show host-style in front of his 67-member panel on the stage of the University of Akron’s E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall.

In an effort to deliver on the White House promise of the first truly open dialogue of his year-long race initiative, Clinton coaxed and cajoled, but could hardly spark few dissenting voices from the hand-picked participants.

Even on affirmative action, probably the most contentious issue in U.S. race relations, the group was almost unanimous. Asked for a show of hands, all but a few of the panel said they favored it, and the invited audience of more than 1,500 roared its approval.

So in what amounted to an overtime play to enliven the discussion, Clinton turned to author Abigail Thernstrom, who had been invited as the sole opponent of affirmative action programs that include racial preferences.

“Abigail, do you favor the United States Army abolishing the affirmative action program that produced (retired Army General) Colin Powell?” Clinton demanded to know. “Yes or no? Yes or no?”

Clearly taken by surprise, a slightly flustered Thernstrom struggled to extricate herself from the trap, with the president staring down at her.

“I do not think it is racial preferences that made Colin Powell,” Thernstrom replied.

Clinton interrupted. “He thinks he was helped by it,” the president said of Powell, the first black chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, who has endorsed the idea of affirmative action.

Thernstrom fired back: “The overwhelming majority of Americans want Americans citizens to be treated as individuals.”

The exchange was the most dramatic of the event, during which students, young professionals, pastors, and community and business leaders swapped their personal experiences and reflections on race.

Clinton announced at the outset that he had spoken to the participants urging them to “forget about the fact that all these people are staring at you, and you’re on television” and speak openly about their feelings. But the discussion dealt largely in the generalities.

In one moment of individual candor, University of Akron student Jonathan Morgan admitted that “if I’m walking downtown on a street and I see a black man walking towards me that’s not dressed as well, I may be a little bit scared … I have those prejudices.”

The remark was of the sort that White House aides had said they were hoping to elicit from the session, and Clinton praised the student, telling him, “That’s a pretty gutsy thing for you to admit.”

In a light moment, two Akron pastors, one black and one white, told about how their two congregations have worked together on race relations.

“You know, preachers are supposed to do the right thing,” the president told the twosome. “I mean, come on! What impact has it had on people in your churches?”

Quipped the Rev. Knute Lawson, of a nondenominational predominantly white church: “Our church is teaching theirs how to sing.”

The black minister, Ronald Fowler of the Arlington Church of God, joked: “We’ve never done country music well!” The two men said that their joint efforts had broken down prejudices in both congregations.

In more serious moments, a black woman told of a white student who broke out in hives when she discovered they would be roommates at college; a biracial student said that banks put holds on his checks unnecessarily; and a Hispanic woman, once on welfare, said courts treated Hispanic youngsters unfairly.

The question of whether the Akron meeting had invigorated Clinton’s stalled race initiative remained unanswered. Clinton repeatedly urged those watching the event on C-SPAN and in person to continue to discuss race issues, but some critics have said they are looking for more evidence of action.