Despite several years of positive action toward resolving problems in our community, many believe that racism still exists and that race is still a major issue in Cincinnati.

Through our Common Ground Initiative, CET has been working to chip away the racial inequities that have surfaced during the last several years. Getting people to talk about race isn't easy. True dialogue among a diverse group of people is a critical component in resolving the racial tension that continues to simmer in our community.

In Greater Cincinnati, the race relations struggle is no longer only a black and white issue. The increasing diversity of our community presents a challenge to us all to reduce prejudice and increase understanding among people of different races and ethnicities.

Through a grant provided in 2004 by the National Center for Outreach (now the National Center for Media Engagement) and through partnerships with the National Conference for Community and Justice of Greater Cincinnati (now BRIDGES for a Just Community), WCPO-TV, the journalism school at the University of Cincinnati, the NAACP, cincinnati.com, the League of Women Voters of the Greater Cincinnati area and other organizations in Greater Cincinnati, CET presented programs and projects that stimulate true and open dialogue, bring about understanding of the similarities and differences among us, and promote the benefits of diversity. CET, along with many organizations, groups and individuals in the community, believes that by informing about race and race-related issues we can engage in a dialogue that will inspire us to action, to a different mindset, to change. Through that process, respect and trust will develop and unite our community. This will happen one person at a time, one step at a time.

With community leaders, parents, and representatives from a diverse group of organizations, CET has developed a guide for parents on how to raise non-racist kids. The guide, ''Common Ground: Raising Compassionate Children Who Celebrate Diversity and Our Shared Humanity,'' is free and available to parents, schools and organizations throughout Greater Cincinnati. In the guide you'll find ideas and information unique to our community, particularly ways to help children understand cultures and races other than their own. The guide is available by calling (513) 345-6558 or by email: webmaster@cetconnect.org. ''Common Ground: Raising Compassionate Children Who Celebrate Diversity and Our Shared Humanity'' was funded in part by the National Center for Outreach.

Through CET's Learning Services, elementary school teachers can find lessons targeted at the youngest grades and keyed to the Ohio Academic Content Standards in social studies and language arts. These activities have been designed to nurture the inborn innocence of young children in their willingness to accept people, regardless of color, disabilities or other differences.

Common Ground programs, and CET's Focus programs, can be requested by teachers through CET's Learning Services Video on Demand service.

On September 25, CET presented a live program, Common Ground: The Journey Toward Understanding, and convened focus groups, to initiate ongoing dialogue about our multiracial and multicultural community. Often we find it difficult to admit our prejudices, but acknowledging their existence is the first step toward righting the wrongs that spring from them. Sharing feelings, perceptions and experiences through honest, respectful dialogue is critical to finding common ground and working toward healing. And that's exactly what happened! With a diverse group of individuals from throughout our community, we delved into the issues of bias, prejudice, talked about our journeys and explored ways to initiate dialogue on how we feel about those topics and how they affect us and our community.

In August, CET aired the ground-breaking three-part national series Race: The Power of An Illusion, a series which challenges our deeply-held beliefs on race. Episode 1, titled "The Differences Between Us," aired on Tuesday, August 19, at 10pm. The following Thursday, CET presented a special Focus program, Perspectives on Race in Cincinnati, that examined what we need to do in our community to remake our social institutions. Episodes 2 & 3 of Race: The Power of An Illusion aired on CET on August 26 and September 3 respectively. The companion website to the series invites visitors to confront their own ideas about race and review the history of race and the many meanings today.

On CET on September 23 & 24, from 9-11pm, Matters of Race explored the complex demands of our rapidly changing multiracial, multicultural society. Race, culture, power, and identity are at the center of the films, which examined how we envision our society in the next century.

CET's public affairs program Focus continues to provide insight into issues and events that strengthen and unite our community. Many programs are available to watch online and provide resources for additional information. If there is an issue that you would like to see covered on Focus, or know of a project that helps in some way, please contact us at (513) 381-4033 or send an email at focus@cetconnect.org.

In April 2003, CET presented MentorLink in partnership with Leadership Cincinnati Class XXVI and WLWT to raise awareness and recruit mentors for youth in our community. The agencies that participated in the project include: Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, Beech Acres, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters Association. During the MentorLink program, caring adults were invited to call in and help young people develop life skills, give them opportunities and provide access to resources. While initiation sessions were held later that month, you can still become a mentor and make a difference in someone's life! Click on one of the links in this paragraph to find out more.

CET's Common Ground Initiative began in the spring of 2001, following the racial tension and civil disturbances that divided our community. The project grew from the station's desire to provide whatever assistance it could to meet the needs facing the community and facilitate the healing process. During that period, Common Ground was funded by generous grants from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation and from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional support for the project was provided by Cincinnati Bell, the Stephen H. Wilder Foundation and from the members of CET.

For details on the genesis and the first two years of the project, as well as links to classroom lessons and resources for further study, visit Common Ground 2001-2002.