Although she cited no discrimination against her on AS THE WORLD TURNS, Tamara Tunie Bouquett, who plays an attorney who rose up from poverty, says the prejudice against blacks starts at the casting office. The problems she has encountered are reflective of a larger entertainment industry bias. Competition for key roles among white actors becomes even stiffer for black actors for the few parts that are specifically written for them; even the most gifted black actors rarely work.


Tamara's particular frustrations with being a black actress on a soap stem from the limitations of her own role. Jessica...