THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 7, 1996 TAG: 9610040008
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 32 lines
I'd like to comment on two Sept. 26 articles - the first, an editorial, ``What purpose is served?'' questioning current laws denying convicted felons of their right to vote, and the second on the disproportionate discipline of black students at Virginia Beach schools.
Both articles assert institutional racism is to blame for what appears to be disproportionate application of the law against blacks. The first article believes the law denying convicted felons the right to vote is racist because a disproportionate percentage of felons are black. The second article believes the Virginia Beach school system is racist because the number of black students disciplined by the school is greater than what is to be expected, given the percentage of black students enrolled in the schools.
The disproportionate statistics are probably attributable to economic differences, not institutional racism. Were we to evaluate the same statistics vs. annual income, I suspect the polarization would be much more apparent.
Crime and poverty go hand in hand. Poverty knows no color. It is a national disgrace that so many of our families live in poverty, a disproportionate share of whom are black. We need to attack this problem at its source. Labor and business laws should be rewritten to encourage job development, jobs whose wages are sufficient to support a family of four without federal or state subsidies.
RICHARD H. NAIGLE
Chesapeake, Sept. 30, 1996 by CNB