WOOING ALLIES BETTER THAN BLASTING FOES.(MAIN)

Byline: WILLIAM RASPBERRY

WASHINGTON -- The beginning of the year may be a good time for America's black leadership to take a deep breath and clarify for itself the nature of the battle to be waged. Is it racism that should principally concern us? Is it racial discrimination? Or is it racial inequality?

The tempting thing -- because it requires no thought, only emotion -- is to answer: all three. And in truth the three problems do manifest themselves in ways that make it hard to distinguish one from another. Moreover, each problem feeds the other.

But they are not the same problem, and it may be time to sort them out and decide on priorities.

Racism, which seems to have …