At times it seems as if too many adults act like stereotypical adolescents. By that I mean we tend to see only the immediate moment and its emotions and are vaguely aware that we've been shaped by the past, that in fact, we live in the context of history.

The proponents of California's Proposition 209 have craftily exploited our cultural blindspot. In their eagerness to cloud our history, they have embarrassed themselves by running TV commercials that quoted my father, Martin Luther King, Jr., selectively and out of context. Those ads - a triumph of wishful thinking over historical fact - claimed that he opposed affirmative action. The ads were hastily withdrawn when my family protested.

This brand of myopic expedience was exemplified as well by Mr. Ward Connerly, who led the campaign for proposition 209. He said that because he, an African American, had succeeded, racism no longer weighs heavily on America - a classic hasty generalization. I wish I could agree with him, but my own upbringing and adulthood, which have immersed me in the Civil Rights movement and its aftermath, make it impossible to wear self-serving blinders.

Historically, America has given preferential treatment to white males beginning with slavery followed by segregation, and now overt and covert discrimination. Affirmative action, which I wholeheartedly support, disavows such a practice and urges fair-minded and historically conscious Americans to support equal opportunity, that yet-to-be achieved "level playing field" that receives a great deal of lip service.

Americans fortunately do respond to our history when someone shakes the rose colored glasses from our eyes That's why the backers of Proposition 209 fought so hard - and ultimately succeeded - to keep the term "affirmative action" from the California ballot measure. They knew that when Americans awakened to the facts of a situation, they choose justly as in the case of the City of Houston,
November 1997 anti-affirmative action ballot measure.

Frederick Jordan's history belongs to the long tradition of writers awakening us to our own historical context. The author puts the campaign over 209 in perspective, cuts through the political obfuscation, and challenges us to look at the hard facts. What I especially admire about Mr. Jordan's account is his unflinching honesty and dedication to seek out what is fair or not. He points out the flaws in both the pro and con campaigns, but it is clear the moral weight of our religious traditions and constitutional ideals formulated by our founding fathers come down on the side of affirmative action. Mr. Jordan's account adds heft to this position. It offers supporters of affirmative action another tool to awaken the nation to the ramifications of its history. It reminds all Americans of the potential to become a great people, embodying both justice and the compassion that is the lifeblood of our faiths.