Living with Racism: The Black Middle-Class Experience [Paperback]

Joe R. Feagin (Author), Melvin P. Sikes (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0807009253 | ISBN-13: 978-0807009253 | Publication Date: July 31, 1995

"Feagin and Sikes . . . effectively drive home the point that 'mere' slights, racist jokes, common stereotyping-the myriad minor acts of prejudice and discrimination to which blacks are subjected even when separated by days or weeks-can gradually leave a sediment of bitterness and despair in the souls of black folk that makes normal interaction with whites very difficult." -The Texas Observer

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Pervasive white racism--often subtle and covert, at times blatant--is a daily reality for African Americans, according to the 209 middle-class blacks interviewed for this important and disturbing report. The respondents tell of discrimination on the job in salary, evaluations and promotions; prejudice against black renters and homebuyers by white landlords, real estate agents, homeowners and neighbors; the channeling of black students into vocational "tracks"; physical assaults and institutionalized racism on college campuses; and daily hostility blacks face in restaurants, stores and other public places. Feagin, a white sociologist at the University of Florida, and Sikes, a black psychologist who conducts anti-racism workshops, call for much more multiculturalism in U.S. schooling, aggressive enforcement of affirmative action and initiatives by white leaders to eradicate widespread racial prejudice and stereotyping by the white majority.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

E. Franklin Frazier's Black Bourgeoisie is now almost three generations old. It is time for as definitive a study about the black middle class today. Feagin, a white sociologist, and Sikes, a black psychologist, present the culture of the class through open-ended interviews with 209 of its members. The interviews are presented in topical chapters on racial discrimination in public places, in educational organizations, in the marketplace (i.e., that which employees face), in entrepreneurship (that which businesspersons face), and in seeking a good home and neighborhood. The book closes with a "wherefrom-whitherto" look into the future. As a whole, the book is thematically organized to refute the contention of such prominent black intellectuals as Thomas Sowell and William Julius Wilson, as well as whites ones such as Daniel Patrick Moynihan, that the black middle class has escaped racism. Feagin and Sikes for the most part accept the evidence of macrosociological mobility: the black middle class is much wealthier, more prestigious, and more educated than it was, and it is growing rapidly. But the racist insults of everyday life continue unabated. Roland Wulbert --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press (July 31, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807009253
• ISBN-13: 978-0807009253
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #590,055 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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