(2 of 2)
Appraisals of the program's success are as varied as the emotions it stirred up. Says James Hawkins, principal of an elementary school: "It did some good if it did nothing more than develop some awareness." Sonya Friedman, a clinical psychologist who served as a group leader, notes that some younger teachers "showed signs of coming around," but that older ones had difficulty changing their ways. She also complains that the give and take was all one way: blacks lashing out at whites, and whites taking it. "There was no cry the whites could make that the blacks could hear," she says.
School Superintendent Dana Whitmer believes it is too early to appraise the results. "It will depend on whether there are improvements in education," he insists. But last week an early return came in. Some 250 white teachers joined 170 black colleagues in a one-day walkout to enforce their demand for the appointment of a black assistant superintendent. All of the strikers lost a day's pay and risked losing their jobs. It was the first time the whites and blacks of Pontiac's schools had made common cause over such an issue.