Civil rights activist Eva Hodgson yesterday challenged Rotary Club members to take a more enlightened view of race relations.

Dr. Hodgson, co-founder of the National Council for Reconciliation, was speaking at the Hamilton Rotary's weekly lunch.

"I expect you, as leaders in the community and business, to take a more intellectual and informative view about race relations than has happened to the present.

"You knew what you were doing when you invited me, you cannot say I should not have done it, now I ask for your support,'' said Dr. Hodgson.

She was speaking on the subject of `Racism Past and Present' and said that black people had been indoctrinated with the philosophy that they were inferior to white people.

Dr. Hodgson added that it was still clear that if black people did not get permission from white people they did not succeed to the wealthier jobs -- and for every success there were more failures.

"Where we have successful blacks we have the Wayne Perinchiefs and Arnold Todds who thought they had made it, but had not because they did not have the permission from the whites.'' Wayne Perinchief was made redundant from his assistant Police Commissioner post and Mr. Todd was unsuccessfully prosecuted for fraud.

"One thing is very clear -- if blacks do not get permission they do not get access to the wealth of this society.

"Black people are indoctrinated with the myth as well which is why they vote for the UBP and not the PLP,'' said Dr. Hodgson.

Economic wealth had started and remained in the hands of white people, she added, there was widespread propaganda during the 1980s and even today the Bermuda College did not offer courses in African history.

"That kind of thing helps to perpetuate the myth that African people are inferior people.'' Dr. Hodgson added: "Today we have a black community which is in total disintegration, where blacks are frustrated because some think they have made it to the top.

"Most of all, though, we have a growing underclass of blacks as a result of the propaganda heard throughout the 1980s.

"For the most part we are totally invisible to the white community. The only time we are visible is when we are a pain in the neck.'' DICRIMINATION DIS