"Race and Reason," a cable cast program espousing white separatism, is described including its content, mode of production, and distribution. The legal framework in which public access television operates is outlined with particular focus on the first amendment and the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984. To illustrate some communities' experience with racist cable programming, three case histories are cited. These include Viacom Cablevision franchise and the East Bay area south of Oakland, Warner Cable Communications and the Norwood community in suburban Cincinnati, and the Chubbuck Cable Commission and the Pocatello community in Idaho. Also discussed are these communities' efforts to come to terms with this type of racist programming and its outcome. On the basis of these experiences, lessons and conclusions are drawn for developing effective strategies of prevention and response to bigotry. 52 notes