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President Clinton’s speech on race relations addressed matters of particular importance to Los Angeles. No single race or ethnic group makes up a majority of our city’s population. We therefore have the capability to make Los Angeles the role model for race relations nationally. But first, we, the “stakeholders,” need to update traditional notions of race relations.

Legal immigration has dramatically changed the ethnic makeup of Los Angeles in the past two decades. For many of L.A.’s new immigrant residents, race relations means something different than it does for African Americans or for many American-born Latinos and Asians. For example, Proposition 187, the measure that cuts back on public educational and other benefits to undocumented immigrants, and more recently, congressional legislation that restricts welfare benefits for legal immigrants, are viewed by many immigrants as blatant acts of discrimination.

Immigrants are also very concerned about higher education. At the very time that higher education at public institutions needs to be inclusive, Proposition 209, the measure that repeals affirmative action in state-funded programs, does the opposite. I do not believe that we need permanent affirmative action programs; however, I do not think that we can honestly conclude that enough has been done thus far. I agree with the president that “we must not resegregate higher education or leave it to the private universities to do the public’s work.”

Our focus needs to be on equalizing economic opportunity. We frequently read about the income gap and the need to close that gap. Educational disparity, if not addressed, will dramatically widen the gap; and for Los Angeles and other urban centers, I can think of no greater disservice we can bring upon ourselves. Many immigrant families that I talk with express concern about future economic discrimination rather than racial discrimination. They are concerned about obtaining the skills necessary to compete for higher paying jobs. For them, education is the great equalizer.

The president said in his speech that we have to go beyond dialogue and I could not agree more. Dialogue ensures communication among diverse groups, but doesn’t necessarily change “systemic” attitudes. There has been plenty of dialogue between pro and anti-affirmative action forces; yet it hasn’t moved us forward, except to create more divisiveness. Attitudes change when people have a sense of fairness--and that comes from fair treatment experienced in school and in the workplace. But the tools needed to hone the skills to compete on an equal footing must be supplied by the public sector. And just as important, the private sector must provide the economic opportunities to excel.

Los Angeles is far from perfect in many respects, but it is the destination city that continues to attract people from all over the world who seek upwardly mobile opportunities. As Angelenos, if we are not getting our “fair share,” we will create and expand opportunities that do. Many of us believe that we have the tools to cultivate those opportunities. Our collective goal must be to reduce poverty in our communities regardless of ethnic makeup. Let’s start with dispelling the myths that hold us back.

Differences in perspective among the various ethnic groups show that we have lots of work to do. A Gallup Poll released last week reported that 58% of whites surveyed thought that the quality of life for black Americans had become better over the past decades, while only 33% of black respondents thought that it had. Not surprisingly, when asked if the federal government should make every possible effort to improve the social and economic position of minority groups, 59% of blacks but only 34% of whites responded yes.

Priscilla Labovitz, a Washington immigration lawyer, has noted that white Americans think that whites make up 49.9% of U.S. population, when in fact they constitute nearly three-fourths, according to the U.S. Census. Whites think that blacks are 23.8%, Latinos 14.7% and Asians 10.8% of the population. In fact, the percentages are 11.8, 9.5 and 3.1, respectively. So why these misperceptions?

This is where dialogue can do the most good. Dispelling the myths and delving into the root causes of those misperceptions is a good start. Let’s begin by minimizing the fears and threats that demographic changes appear to bring. And yes, Mr. President, we can become one America in the 21st century.