In an era when Littleton, Jonesboro and other violent incidents dominate the news, Americans have grown increasingly polarized, fearful for their children and mistrustful of each other. Yet, hidden beneath the avalanche of chilling headlines and public cynicism, there are heartening examples of communities from coast to coast that have found answers to the teen violence and hate crime that trouble America.

On Wednesday, September 22, 1999, PBS stations nationwide will set aside an entire evening to explore lessons learned from six of these extraordinary communities. This unprecedented television event is Seeking Solutions, a dynamic blend of documentary segments and public dialogues, produced and reported by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Hedrick Smith. The 2-1/2-hour program, which airs from 8:00 to 10:30 p.m. ET, will be followed in most markets by 30 minutes of related local programming.

According to Smith, "What makes Seeking Solutions especially important is that it reaches beyond the soul searching and finger pointing to show how ordinary grassroots heroes are confronting and overcoming problems of crime and violence in their hometowns. Many viewers hunger for a more encouraging view of our society – certainly a more balanced view than television usually offers. They want to see not just problems but answers and, perhaps, a road map that can help them find ways to join hands and improve life in their own communities. Seeking Solutions helps meet that need."

The broadcast is staged in three thematic segments that address grassroots responses to teen violence, street crime and hate crimes. Profiled in each segment are communities that represent the different worlds of the suburbs, the cities and small town America, yet share a common goal: to reach beyond their obstacles and differences to resolve some very serious problems. Three public dialogues, based in Kansas City, MO, Portland, OR and Columbia, SC, allow experts, activists and local citizens to react to each story and consider what lessons can be drawn and applied elsewhere.

During the course of the evening, viewers will meet brave and innovative people who have helped to prevent, or break, the cycle of crime and violence in these six diverse communities. The following are highlights of the program. For more details on the series, see the enclosed program descriptions in the press kit.

• Benning Terrace (Washington, D.C.) -- An escalating war between rival gangs forced residents of this public housing project to cower in their apartments, too terrified to venture outside, even in broad daylight. The final straw was the abduction and execution of the ninth murder victim in just eight months -- a 12-year-old boy. Two unlikely street saviors served as the agents of change for the embattled neighborhood: former felons Tyrone Parker and Rico Rush, founders of the Alliance of Concerned Men, who bravely marched onto ground-zero to try to stop the violence. In this segment, Hedrick Smith takes viewers inside their daring and successful effort to establish a truce before the neighborhood is demolished and put former gang members on the path to mainstream America.

• Oregon State Penitentiary (Portland, OR) -- In this maximum security prison, 25 inmates have developed a special program designed to keep young people from joining them behind bars. The goal of the Los Hermanos Youth Crime Prevention Program, says founder Antonio Palacios, is "to make a difference and try to make society a better place to live in." During the school year, the inmates - many of whom are serving time for murder and other serious offenses - host face-to-face mentoring sessions with teenagers inside the penitentiary walls. Thus far, 150 juveniles have been through the program, most under court orders to attend after committing "stepping-stone" crimes. Viewers visit the prison, sit in on the sessions and experience its effects on the students and the prisoners, themselves.

• Uptown (Chicago, IL) -- In a tough city, Uptown is a tough-looking neighborhood. But in this gritty arena, jam-packed with diverse peoples from all walks of life, the violent crime rate is surprisingly low. The secret lies within Uptown's powerful community spirit and the scores of active civic groups that ensure all who live here are accepted and supported. Tucked within this urban mosaic are extraordinary people like Rita Simo, who has founded a free music school that anyone can attend, and former drug addict Ronald Bennett, who landed in Uptown homeless and found the help he needed to turn his life around. "Once the door opened...I'm really on my way," declares Bennett. .

• Blue Hills (Kansas City, MO) -- Less than a decade ago, this Kansas City neighborhood was dominated by crack dens, break-ins, robberies and shootings. Afraid to leave their homes, residents felt overwhelmed and isolated. But when a dead body was found on the steps of the Catholic elementary school, Sister Helen Flemington and other leaders at St. Therese Church decided to take action. The Church became a matchmaker, drawing together homeowners and police and enlisting the support of a community prosecutor. Just as important, newly empowered neighbors took charge, clearing out drug dealers, restoring abandoned homes and closing down a bar that had become a magnet for crime. A special group of "100 Good Men" patrols the area at night and even accompanies children to school. Proclaims one resident, "Get active if you want your neighborhood back. Remember, there's more of us than them!"

• Manning and Greeleyville, SC -- In the rural flatlands of South Carolina, two black churches were burned to the ground in 1996. Decades ago, the Ku Klux Klan-inspired fires and smoldering remains might have been the end of the story. But not now. Within days of the event, two young arsonists were arrested, and beleaguered parishioners at Manning's Macedonia Baptist Church sued the Klan, winning a $38 million judgment. Viewers will meet many of the protagonists in this remarkable story, including Wanda Mitchum, mother of one of the arsonists, who befriended Macedonia's pastor and even attends services at the rebuilt black church. The community has made great progress, but challenges remain. Church pastor Jonathan Mouzon believes more people must speak out: "Silence is an enabler to hate groups. If we keep our mouths shut, it just gives them more power."

• San Clemente, CA -- In 1993, two hate crimes -- a deadly clash between whites and Latinos and the severe beating of a man suspected of being gay -- jarred this affluent Orange County community. In the wake of the attacks, high school English teacher Joe Moros launched a special course on tolerance that has become a runaway success. By exploring topics from the Holocaust to racism and domestic violence, students are challenged to share their own prejudices and break the code of bigotry. To skeptics who doubt that tolerance can be taught, Steve Raines, who entered the course an avowed white supremacist, cites himself as living proof. Raines emerged a changed man -- and now wants to teach others how to overcome their biases. "If you can teach a kid to slow down and realize what he's doing before it happens," says Raines, "you're going to save a lot of people."

Seeking Solutions is presented on PBS by South Carolina Educational Television. Hedrick Smith is executive producer and correspondent. A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former New York Times correspondent, Smith is the author of several best-selling books and the creator of five major PBS prime-time series, including The People and the Power Game, Surviving the Bottom Line, Inside Gorbachev's USSR, The Power Game and Challenge to America. His award-winning documentary, Across The River, which explored community-building in crime-plagued neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., served as the inspiration for Seeking Solutions.

Segment producers for Seeking Solutions are Ariadne Allan, David Murdock, and Marc Shaffer. Sandra Udy is coordinating producer for the three public dialogues.