By Charles Lane (Click here to view the entire P&R issue) On April 13, 1873, the United States experienced the worst one-day slaughter of blacks by whites in its history. In tiny Colfax, La., white paramilitaries attacked lightly armed African-American freedmen who had assembled in a local courthouse to defend their elected officeholders. By the time the Colfax … [Read more...] about “The Worst Massacre of Blacks by Whites in U.S. History – And the Lessons It Teaches Today” by Charles Lane (May-June 2008 P&R Issue)
“Racial-Ethnic Destinies” by S. M. Miller (May-June 2008 P&R Issue)
By S.M. Miller (Click here to view the entire P&R issue) Polls, such as this one on “Deep Divisions, Shared Destiny,” report the low (5%) margin of error of their study. Like many other polls, they neglect to point out that this error margin applies to the study as a whole. The margin of error for each of the three racial-ethnic groups, the sub-samples, may be larger … [Read more...] about “Racial-Ethnic Destinies” by S. M. Miller (May-June 2008 P&R Issue)
“The Survey Blues” by Howard Winant (May-June 2008 P&R Issue)
By S.M. Miller (Click here to view the entire P&R issue) This New America Media Poll appears to be state-of-the-art stuff, although I haven’t been able to examine the underlying data. That’s on one level. Yet, looked at in another way, in terms of what these results mean about racial/ethnic identity in the U.S., about interracial conflict, belief in “the American dream,” … [Read more...] about “The Survey Blues” by Howard Winant (May-June 2008 P&R Issue)
“‘Minority’ is a Problem Concept” by john a. powell (May-June 2008 P&R Issue)
By john a powell (Click here to view the entire P&R issue) The New America Media poll on racial and ethnic attitudes between Blacks, Hispanics and Asian Americans is both very important and subject to many of the limitations that we have experienced in the past when striving to talk openly about the attitudes and positions of different racial and ethnic groups in the … [Read more...] about “‘Minority’ is a Problem Concept” by john a. powell (May-June 2008 P&R Issue)
“Great Cause for Optimism” by Wade Henderson (May-June 2008 P&R Issue)
By Wade Henderson (Click here to view the entire P&R issue) The survey gives me great cause for optimism. Throughout history, people have drawn boundaries based on differences of race and ethnicity, and untold conflicts have resulted. America—and in particular, our civil rights movement—changed that by enshrining the principle of equality under law and by promising … [Read more...] about “Great Cause for Optimism” by Wade Henderson (May-June 2008 P&R Issue)