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August 24, 2003

Better To Be White Felon Than Honest Black

Want to know why affirmative action and other more activist programs are necessary? Because hard-core racism is pervasive throughout the economy.

Nothing better illustrates this than research by Devah Pager, who won this year's Dissertation Award from the American Sociological Association. for research studying how incarceration effects a person's ability to get a job.

Sending out matched resumes where the only differences were whether the candidate was white or black and a former felon or not, Prager found the usual fact that black applicants get fewer interviews than white applicants.

But most shocking-- "black non-offenders fall behind even whites with prior felony convictions.”

Repeat that-- a white criminal gets more job interviews than a black person with no record at all. It almost boggles the mind that there are people who maintain that racism is no longer prevalent in our society.

Thanks to Crooked Timber.

Posted by Nathan at August 24, 2003 12:56 AM