Legacy

This concrete courtyard in East Baltimore was the place to come for Malcolm X paraphernalia: Malcolm X T-shirts, Malcolm X books, Malcolm X compact discs and, of course, "X" caps. You could even buy "X" potato chips.In the midst of this, a poet took to the stage to sound off in celebration of a legacy centuries older than the civil rights leader's controversial teachings of a quarter-century ago."We are hated all over the world because we are black. It's time for us to unite," said Abiola Valentine.

Maryland Public Television has a winner in "Legacy," the six-part series written and hosted by Michael Wood, which premieres Sunday night at 8 on channels 22 and 67. The look at great civilizations of the last 5,000 years is informed, evocative and occasionally spiced with a touch of poetry by Wood.But, on the other hand, it is yet another example of a kind of TV presentation seen all too often on PBS: It's the let's-get-a-camera-and-follow-a-white-male-around multi-part series. There's a special irony here, because a big part of Wood's message is about how much of our world is the result of civilizations that pre-dated European, civilizations made up of persons of color.

NO ONE can reasonably doubt that racism exists. The question is what effect racism exerts on the lives of minorities, particularly black Americans.The traditional civil rights view is that white racism blocks black Americans' achievement, denying them opportunity and prosperity.Others argue that the battle against racism and discrimination has been won. They don't necessarily deny the existence of racism but see it now as merely an annoyance.For years I held the latter view: "Yes, racism exists," I conceded, "but we're past the point where it dramatically limits our lives."

WASHINGTON -- With the Dow touching 10,000, unemployment and inflation at remarkable lows and economic growth climbing, President Clinton is turning to the decade's stellar economic performance as a positive legacy for his administration.But as more economic mileposts are passed on Clinton's watch, debate is raging over how much credit the administration should take. The Dow Jones industrial average broke through the 10,000 mark yesterday for the first time, though it ended the day down 28 points, at 9,930.

BOSTON -- Wealth never meant much to the late An Wang, who owned two suits, both gray, even though he was worth billions. It's a lesson his heirs might find useful as they confront a sharp downturn in the family fortune.And yet, the Wang legacy -- if not the financial future -- was made secure by the millions of dollars An Wang gave away during his company's years of plenty.As Wang Laboratories Inc. enters bankruptcy protection, there are two ways to look at the fate of the Wang family: First, the value of their stock has fallen 97 percent from its peak, and second, they're still rich.

HESS SHOES sold footwear to Baltimoreans for 127 years, but in a fast-paced world where immediacy and low-cost take precedence, a storied legacy means little.Baltimore and Washington residents might best remember Hess' cozy main street-style stores and friendly sales clerks. But in recent years, the company had to abandon its street-front locations for shopping malls, where it had to to compete with department store behemoths and large national athletic shoe retailers like Footlocker.The growing popularity of catalog shopping and the explosion of Internet commerce added insult to injury.

Editor: Thank you for writing about the passing of Dr. Al O'Connell and the tremendous legacy he established at Harford Community College. Dr. O'Connell transformed Harford Community College and left behind a strong base for leaders that followed him there. He also transformed lives. Dr. O' Connell was my very first professional mentor. When I was 25 and working in the admissions office at the college, he saw something in me that I did not see. He encouraged me to pursue a career in community college leadership and for several years, as I advanced through several positions at the college, he took me under his wing and guided me on a path that led me, eventually, to the presidency of Montgomery County Community College in suburban Philadelphia.

For more than a century, the Greeks of Athens had it all -- power, prestige, wealth. Then, just as quickly, they lost it all, leaving the world one essential legacy -- the democratic principles upon which much of modern civilization is based. "The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization" focuses on a roughly 200-year period, from the birth of Cleisthenes in 570 B.C. to the death of Socrates in 399 B.C. While that represents only a portion of ancient Greek history -- the Olympics, for example, date back to 776 B.C. -- there's no disputing that the events of the period would change the course of world history.

WASHINGTON -- Bill Clinton once said that as a young man, he was inspired by John F. Kennedy's pledge to go to the moon, by Lyndon B. Johnson's resolve to advance civil rights and by an early 1960s can-do optimism that later came to be associated with Ronald Reagan.As he seeks to build a record historians will admire, Clinton is sounding those same themes. He is beginning what he has portrayed as a major drive to improve race relations. Last Sunday, in a commencement speech at Morgan State University, Clinton borrowed Kennedy's man-on-the-moon oratorical style in calling for an AIDS vaccine within 10 years.

Local politicians, former players, fellow coaches and his closest friends tried to sum up the man who melded the teaching of college football and life, but even speeches, poetry and music could not explain all the compassion and impact Earl Carey Banks had on those around him."He has left a legacy that will endure through eternity," said Dr. Earl S. Richardson, president of Morgan State University.Yesterday, in the Murphy Fine Arts Auditorium at Morgan State, several hundred mourners remembered Banks in a two-hour memorial service as the coach who led Morgan football into the golden years and turned young men from broken homes into positive contributors to society.