HAMILTON — Political activist Kevin Powell touched on institutional racism, affirmative action and white privilege during a fiery speech to a racially mixed audience Wednesday at Miami University-Hamilton.

        At the fifth “Racial Legacies and Learning: How to Talk about Race” town meeting, Mr. Powell, 34, challenged whites to get involved in the fight against racism.

        “You all have got to recognize the issue of skin privilege,” said Mr. Powell, whose latest book is Step Into a World: A Global Anthology of The New Black Literature.

        The Jersey City, N.J., native said there is no such thing as reverse racism be cause African-Americans do not have the ability to deny whites access to anything.

        “Who controls the ideas, images, institutions and people in this country and on this planet?” he asked the hushed audience.

        The university and Hamilton's Human Relations Department sponsored the town meeting, which featured a panel discussion and question-and-answer period.

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