Milwaukee deserves national attention, for more than beer and bratwurst. It's one of the nation's most segregated cities, and if local leaders can bridge the racial gap it could help cities all over the country. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, a heartland lesson in race relations.

SEGMENT 1:

Journalist Jonathan Coleman tells Steve Paulson that racially divided Milwaukee, Wisconsin is representative of America's continuing difficulties with race relations. Coleman is the author of "Long Way to Go: Black & White in America."

SEGMENT 2:

Journalist Jim Sleeper is the author of "Liberal Racism." He tells Judith Strasser that while civil rights legislation was intended to achieve a color-blind society, its effect now is to create racially based "set- asides" that limit opportunity and stereotype people on the basis of skin color. Also, attorney Barbara Arnwine explains to Steve Paulson that minority women are not protected by current racial and gender discrimination laws. Arnwine is Executive Director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

SEGMENT 3:

Arnold Rampersad teaches literature at Princeton and is the author of "Jackie Robinson: A Biography." He tells Jim Fleming that Robinson grew up in Pasadena; faced a trumped up court martial; endured hostility from other baseball players; and eventually won the fans over with his extraordinary babseball ability.

Distribution dates:

• week of 11/16/97 - hour 1