ELKHART, Indiana�At the dawn of the 21st century, an age-old problem persists�race murders.

In the wake of the recent dragging death of James Byrd in Jasper, Texas, and the random shooting death of Ricky Birdsong, a Northwestern University basketball coach, by a white supremacist in Illinois, two teen-agers have been charged with the random shooting death of a Black teen here.

Sasezley Richardson, 19, died Nov. 20 of a gunshot wound to the head three days after he was shot while walking home from a store with diapers for his girlfriend�s baby. Alex Witmer, 18, and Jason Powell, 19, both of Elkhart, were charged with the murder after a resident came forward with vital information. Police apprehended the youths and reportedly obtained a confession that they were seeking admittance to white supremacy group.

Still in shock, about 300 people attended a prayer vigil Thanksgiving morning in response to the murder and erected a memorial of flowers, candles, stuffed animals and balloons�one saying "You�ll be missed"�around a street sign pole at the murder scene. Several dozen speakers prayed for racial tolerance, reconciliation, and the passing of a statewide hate crime bill. Blacks only make up about 11 percent of the town�s 43,000 population.

The crowd, including city officials, church leaders and members of social service organizations, raised about $1,500 toward Mr. Richardson�s funeral expenses, which was held Nov. 27 in Memphis, Tenn.

"This is a particularly heinous crime," Michael Christofeno, chief deputy prosecutor for Elkhart County, told reporters. "This victim was entirely random. It could have been any Black person or any minority person."

A group of Black youth of Elkhart labels the murder an isolated incident that is no cause for widespread alarm within the Black community. "The murder was a foolish act of cowardice," said Cornelius Owens Jr. "If they really wanted to kill some Black people, then why would they go into a racially mixed neighborhood? Why not come where the area is mainly Black?"

Mr. Owens Jr. stressed the need for Blacks and others of good will to respond to the situation in the courtroom. "If it was me or any Black man, prosecutors would already be going for the death penalty. People need to get together and show up in numbers at the courtroom," he said.

Ron Davis, director of the Elkhart chapter of the NAACP, called for the passage of an Indiana Hate Crime Bill. "We want perpetrators of hate crimes to receive special attention and the maximum punishment from our legal system," said Mr. Davis. "During 1999, the Indiana Civil Rights Commission reported only two deaths in the state of Indiana associated with a hate crime. It is sad that the third death had to happen in Elkhart County. It shows me that we have much work to do."

Kweisi Mfume, NAACP national executive director, said he would closely watch the Elkhart case to ensure that the right thing is done.

"It is a sad day when a young man is murdered just because of his race or ethnic origin," said Mr. Mfume. "Hate crimes do not just happen in Indiana. Hate knows no boundaries and it will continue until our nation becomes more tolerant of people who look different, practice different religions and come from different ethnic groups."

In fact, race crimes have been occurring ever since Blacks were stolen from the shores of Africa. In 1990, the Hate Crime Statistics Act was passed to compile data on hate crimes. Since then the FBI has documented and analyzed incidences that were reported.

In 1996, there were 7,947 race crimes reported, statistic show. Sixty-two percent of those were targeted against Blacks. The FBI has documented that race is the largest determinant in hate violence.

According to the American Psychological Association, "the type of crime committed against African Americans has not changed much since the 19th century, it still includes bombing, vandalizing churches, burning crosses on home lawns and murder."

Major cases such as the dragging of James Byrd make headlines. But little is known about the people who are attacked and brutalized every day in every state just because they are Black.

The statistics gathered by the Leadership Council on Civil Rights and published in their report, "Hate Crimes in America," as well as those gathered by the Southern Poverty Law Center, are alarming. For example:

� In 1994, white neighbors of a Black woman living in the Los Angeles suburb of South Gate burned a cross on her lawn, kicked her children, hanged and gassed her puppies, and placed "White Power" signs on her property.

� Since January 1995, there were 73 Black churches were victimized by suspicious fires or acts of desecration.

� In 1996, Michael James, 26, and Jackie Burden, 27, both Black, were gunned down by James Burmeister, 21, a soldier stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C. He said he was seeking membership in a white supremacist group.

� In March 1996, Bridget Ward and her two girls moved in a white Philadelphia neighborhood. The next morning racial slurs were on her door, and ketchup was on her sidewalk. She continued to receive racial harassment including a letter threatening her life. Five weeks later she moved.

� In 1997, Omar Dia, 38, a West African immigrant in Denver, was gunned down by Nathan John Hill, 19. Mr. Hill made racist remarks before the shooting.

And in Tulsa, Okla., a commission investigating one of the nation�s worst acts of racial violence will seek city permission to dig in a Tulsa cemetery in a search for mass graves.

The Tulsa Race Riot Commission agreed Nov. 15 to move ahead with a plan for limited excavation at Oaklawn Cemetery in its effort to define what happened in Tulsa 78 years ago.

Also, the commission took up the issue of reparations, including scholarships, museums, memorials and direct payments to race riot survivors and victims� families as restitution for one of the nation�s worst acts of racial violence.

Historians say up to 300 people, mostly Blacks, were killed when deputized white mobs burned 36 blocks of the city�s Black Greenwood business district (known as Black Wall Street) in May 1921. The National Guard has been accused of being slow to respond and of also being involved in the attack.

The committee on reparations suggested direct payments based on the precedent set by the Florida Legislature in the case of the 1923 Rosewood Massacre. Florida awarded victims� families as much as $150,000 each.