Writer Praised for Watts Piece

Cheers for Ron Harris (“The Reality of Living in Watts,” Aug. 11) and his courage! He’s moving upscale but he hasn’t sold his conscience in the process or denied his neighbor’s need. He expresses disgust with high-profile charity like U.S.A. for Africa and astonishment that “people who cannot lift one finger for people in the neighborhoods . . . can be so compassionate for people around the world.”

Maybe because my long-ago baptism was at Calvary Baptist Church in Denver, I still believe the Baptists with their exceptionally strong roots in both black and white communities, could be the conduit between contributors and hungry American children of every color. Don’t you suppose there’s a Baptist church within five miles of every disadvantaged grade school in America? If the churches began such a concern for fellow citizens this could also return brotherhood to Christian relevance and restore the churches to ethical leadership.

JEANNE MORGAN

Santa Barbara