How Black Americans See Discrimination

[SummerMadness]

How Black Americans See Discrimination

One of the paradoxes of racial discrimination is the way it can remain obscured even to the people to whom it's happening. Here's an example: In an ambitious, novel study conducted by the Urban Institute a few years ago, researchers sent actors with similar financial credentials to the same real estate or rental offices to ask about buying or renting a home or apartment. In the end, no matter where they were sent, the actors of color were shown fewer homes and offered fewer discounts on rent or mortgages than those who were white.

The results even surprised some of the actors of color; they felt they had been treated politely — even warmly — by the very real estate agents who told them they had no properties available to show them but who then told the white actors something different. The full scope of the disparate treatment often becomes clear only in the aggregate, once the camera zooms out.

What is described here is a point I've seen argued here that suggests there is no racism unless someone makes a derogatory comment or they are mean; however, such practices are no longer acceptable, but that does not mean discrimination has been eliminated, something that is not clear until you look at an aggregate. These results are similar to that seen in hiring practices where one's name can be a hindrance in obtaining employment regardless of qualifications. Can you say that warm, polite salesperson was discriminatory based on your individual interaction? Probably not, that's something you can't see until you look at this salesperson's interactions with multiple clients.

The income and age divide were interesting findings, but not surprising.