Detroit Public Radio Will Simulcast Special Produced By Emery King And
WTVS

Special On Race Hosted By Emery King And Paul W. Smith

WDET 101.9FM - Detroit Public Radio will present the first in a series
of prime-time, one-hour telecasts on race relations in Metro Detroit on
Tuesday, September 26, at 9 p.m. Produced by Kingberry Productions and
WTVS - Detroit Public Television, "Bridging the Racial Divide" will be
co-hosted by former NBC correspondent and news anchor Emery King and
WJR\'s Paul W. Smith. They will be joined by a number of dynamic and
influential voices in the community representing a variety of
backgrounds and points of view.

The airing of this program will become a remarkable community-wide
event, with meetings and discussions being planned for seven different
locations across the metro area, where groups will watch the special,
then share their own thoughts, feelings and experiences relating to
racism.

The 2000 Census named this metropolitan area as the most segregated
region in the United States. The reality continues to generate a
troubling series of social, economic and political problems. This first
"Bridging" special will examine Metro Detroit at the crossroads,
exploring both the hope generated by the community\'s enormous Super Bowl
success and the obstacles to further progress caused by this region\'s
racial divide.

King, whose Kingberry Productions is producing the series, said: "The
title, \'Bridging the Racial Divide,\' says it all. It\'s a dialogue that\'s
really intended to clear the path to common ground, to a better
understanding of the racial issues that separate us and keep us from
moving forward as a community."

The show will be taped before a "live" audience drawn from across the
metro area at the Schaever Recital Hall at Wayne State University.
Earlier, two dinner discussions were taped at area restaurants, one with
seven black participants led by King at Detroit\'s Grand City Grille, and
the other with seven white participants led by Smith at the Traffic Jam
and Snug also in Detroit. Each group discussed the same questions and
issues. Three participants from each group will form the panel at
Schaever Hall, where video excerpts from each dinner will be shown on a
large screen to help focus the discussion.

The two-dinner format was chosen because of the perception that when
blacks talk to blacks and whites talk to whites, their discussions of
race differ significantly from what they say on those rare occasions
when they do talk to each other about race. At those times, political
correctness often carries the day, and silence allows suspicion and
misunderstanding to grow. The format will help gauge the divide and
explore how better understanding can be fostered in each group.

The first program in the series will examine the question of which Metro
Detroit will emerge in the years ahead: the Metro Detroit of Super Bowl
week, a focused and bonded region; or the Metro Detroit in the months
that followed, wracked with divisive problems. The discussion will
address issues such as white privilege, black rage, black vs. white
family values, political correctness, and affirmative action.

In addition to Emery King and Paul W. Smith, the panelists will include:
Rochelle Riley (columnist, Detroit Free Press), Heaster Wheeler
(Executive Director, NAACP - Detroit), R. L\'Heureux Lewis (Ph.D
candidate, University of Michigan), Nolan Finley (columnist, Detroit
News), John Rakolta (Chairman, New Detroit), and Kary Moss (Executive
Director, ACLU Michigan).

In addition to WDET, the program will also be aired on WTVS Channel 56
and on WJR 760 AM. Earlier that evening, community groups throughout
Metro Detroit will have an advance screening at 7 p.m. and then discuss
race relations in the context of the TV discussion. Representatives from
New Detroit and NCCJ-MI will facilitate these meetings.

Asked about his hopes for the series, Emery King said, "We hope that our
efforts here will serve as a model for frank, informed and respectful
dialogues that will happen in homes, offices, schools and places of
worship throughout Detroit, its suburbs, the metro region and our entire
state."

WDET - Detroit Public Radio is a community service of Wayne State
University