Wake-Up Call Alarming: Better Answer It : * With Enough Effort, We <i> Can </i> Make Orange the Only Color That Matters in the County

There is food for thought to nourish Orange County well into the 21st Century in the recent charge offered by Orange County Together, the broad-based community group that set as its lofty goal the transformation of Orange County into a place of racial harmony.

Can we do it? Of course we can. The group has already prompted results. Southern California Edison has pledged $25,000 to help combat racial prejudice. The County Human Relations Commission proposes to help initiate race-relations programs in local schools where relations are fractured. And the National Organization for Women has said it will work to increase diversity on local boards and elected posts. Moreover, the United Way is looking to enlist foundation and corporate leaders in something that ought to further their self-interest, creating a favorable business climate through a diverse environment.

The program, formed in response to the Los Angeles riots, aims high to be sure. And why shouldn’t it? Orange County will be better for all if it manages increased diversity in the workplace, new opportunities to learn, improved relations between police and the communities, new partnerships in businesses, and more. If these programs are implemented, the county will go a long way toward meeting the challenge posed by the increased urbanization of recent years.

But as much as the report prompts optimism, there is reason to appreciate the task ahead and to counsel patience and perseverance. Witness what happened at Chapman University last month, when a racial remark uttered by a white student to two black students on a Saturday night resulted in a melee. This took place at a university that has been working diligently to improve the awareness of students of cultural diversity. It has been the site of panels on race relations, and efforts at making multiculturalism part of the curriculum and campus life. Such incidents make it apparent that all the work that goes into building a sound structure can be put at risk by a single matchstick.

And yet the price of failing to move forward can be high. The Los Angeles riots were the catalyst for the effort. They proved to be a wake-up call in Orange County, which had the good sense to recognize that it is not a world apart.

Part of the challenge is making the case. The county has endured enough racial incidents to make the need clear. This is noble work to which we all must commit ourselves in the years ahead.