Matters of Race Episodes on PBS

Part 1 of this two-part exploration of racial issues from various perspectives concerns the addition of Hispanics into America's traditional black-and-white racial mix. “There isn't any escape from the confusion,” says Jane Lazarre, one of four authors whose comments are interspersed throughout the program's two films, which focus on Siler City, N.C., and South Central Los Angeles, respectively. Siler City had been half white and half black; now it's one-third Hispanic. And in South Central, the predominately black staff at King-Drew Medical Center must adjust to an increasingly Latino clientele. It hasn't been easy. Also commenting: Eric Liu, Ruben Martinez and John Edgar Wideman.