
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, May 3, 1990                   TAG: 9005030529
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A14   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

WOULD TECH LET KKK WIZARD GIVE LECTURE?

I READ Daniel Howes' article, "Muslim rips whites at Tech," with a great deal of disgust - not with what was said or who said it, but with the imbalance in tolerance for racism in our society.

While I don't think that white doctors or scientists invented AIDS and loosed it upon the world to obliterate the black race, I will not question Khallid Abdul Muhammad's right to express his opinion.

I wonder: Would Virginia Tech allow the imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan to lecture on campus or possibly members of the Nazi party to condemn Jews in Burruss Hall or anywhere else on school property? I think not, nor should they.

Why then would a school of Tech's stature allow a black racist to condemn whites and incite racial tension? Why does Tech promote racism and prejudice against whites? If Muhammad were white and made these ludicrous statements against blacks, Tech would have had riots (rebellion?) on campus.

Possibly our society should move toward amending our permissive position on reverse discrimination.

\ WILLIAM L. PAXTON JR.\ COVINGTON

by CNB