Race and ‘Class’ Issues

Re Greg Braxton’s story “TV Finds Drama in Interracial Dating” (March 22):

Among the 115 episodes of “Head of the Class” produced by Rich Eustis and myself, a good many were stories in which students of different races dated each other, fell in love, fell out of love--all the things teenagers do.

We made it a policy never to articulate the obvious fact that these relationships were interracial. We wanted, instead, to leave our young audience with the impression that friendship, understanding and love between races is to be taken for granted, not used as a cheap hook for a “very special episode.” We never had a problem with ABC, Warner Bros. or our audience.

Speaking of interracial dating, I’d wager we were the first sitcom to do an episode that explained why Sally Hemings’ children resembled Thomas Jefferson.

MICHAEL ELIAS

Beverly Hills

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Braxton’s article concludes with the quote, “The real breakthrough would be if there was a major series with a black man and a white woman right in the center of it.”

I beg to differ. The actual real breakthrough would be a major series with a black woman and a white man in the center of it.

MONA DAVIS

Cypress