TV REVIEW : Teens Talk About Racism on ‘Shades’

“Shades of a Single Protein,� an “ABC Afterschool Special� airing at 3 p.m. today on Channels 7, 3, 10 and 42, is an example of television at its most compelling and responsible. Acknowledging the uneasy, roiling mix of colors and ethnicities that seethe in the U.S. melting pot, the hourlong program is a meaningful exploration of racism through the eyes of America’s youth.

Candid clips of teen-agers from all backgrounds are intercut with images of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, the civil rights movement in the ‘60s and coverage of L.A.’s recent turmoil. The young people voice confusion, anger, fear and, in some cases--most disturbingly--hatred over racial and ethnic differences.

African-American youths in Manhattan feel humiliated on a subway train when white passengers edge away from them. A seemingly self-assured young Asian-American woman says she struggles against feelings of inadequacy when she sees predominantly white images in the media.

White teens in Nazi uniforms threaten to do what it takes to protect the white race from “extinction,� while an African-American counterpart is waiting for “pay-back� time.

Other young people express bewilderment that they are perceived as inferior or as the enemy, while moments of good-humored harmony between blacks and whites offer hope.

Filmed beautifully, without a gratuitous moment, this straight-talking hour--hosted by Oprah Winfrey, produced and directed by John Watkin and Eamon Harrington--reveals racism’s deep, divisive roots and brings an essential dialogue into the open.