Introduction: Silke Hansen talks about the delicate nature of naming an event in the context of her work with the Community Relations Service during the Rodney King "event."

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Terminology
Silke Hansen
Senior Conciliation Specialist, Community Relations Service
Interviewed by
Julian Portilla
2003
What became interesting was what terminology you used became critical in this mediation. If you went into the African American community and called it a "riot," they would say it wasn't a riot, it was a revolution or it was a disturbance. So I have come to call it the Rodney King event, and responses to that and consequences of that "event" because just how you define something becomes an issue in different communities.
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