Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON : Powell Urges Blacks to Reject All Bigotry

Delivering a commencement address before nearly 20,000 people at Howard University, retired Gen. Colin L. Powell urged fellow American blacks to reject all forms of bigotry, including anti-Semitism. “African Americans have come too far, and have too far yet to go to take a detour into the swamp of hatred,” said the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who is frequently mentioned as a potential presidential candidate. Powell waded into the controversy involving charges of reverse racism and anti-Semitism at the predominantly black campus in Washington. He did not mention Khalid Abdul Muhammad of the Nation of Islam, who delivered a speech at Howard denouncing Jews. But Powell said students have an obligation to “make informed, educated judgments about what you hear and accept the burden to sort out wisdom from foolishness.”