Racial and Ethnic Tensions in American Communities: Poverty, Inequality, and Discrimination--A National Perspective
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
DOCUMENT RESUME ED 407 450 UD 031 686 TITLE Racial and Ethnic Tensions in American Communities: Poverty, Inequality, and Discrimination--A National Perspective. Executive Summary and Transcript of Hearing before the United States Commission on Civil Rights (Washington, D.C., May 21-22, 1992). INSTITUTION Commission on Civil Rights, Washington, D.C. PUB DATE May 92 NOTE 210p.; For Volume I of the related reports, see ED 359 294. For Volume III, see UD 031 687. CONTRACT RR93002016 PUB TYPE Reports Evaluative (142) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC09 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Civil Rights; *Conflict; *Cultural Differences; Demography; Economic Factors; Elementary Secondary Education; Equal Education; Equal Opportunities (Jobs); *Ethnic Relations; Leadership; Mass Media Effects; *Racial Discrimination; Racial Relations; Social Problems IDENTIFIERS *Tension ABSTRACT In February 1991 the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights began a long- term study of the factors contributing to increased racial and ethnic tensions in the United States. This document is a summary of key points made at a National Perspectives Hearing that was part of this study. Following 2 days of testimony and the discussions of eight panels, five key themes emerged from the hearing as primary causes of persistent, and insome cases, increased racial and ethnic tensions:(1) crisis in leadership;(2) media portrayal of existing tensions;(3) deficiencies in the educational system; (4) disparities on the criminal justice system; and (5) growing economic inequality. In addition to these themes, many witnesses testified that the nature of racial and ethnic tension has been transformed as a result of the rapid demographic reconstitution of American society. The hearingsummary begins with a synopsis of empirical data offered by various witnesses in support of the perception that racial and ethnic tensions are on the rise. The summary then provides overviews of the circumstances of the national denial of tensions and the primary causes of persistent racial and ethnic tension. The panels were titled:(1) Racial and Ethnic Tensions--Part 1; (2) Racial and Ethnic Tensions--Part 2;(3) Hate Incidents;(4) Changing Demographics;(5) Multiculturalism;(6) Socioeconomic Factors, Part 1; (7) Socioeconomic Factors, Part 2; and (8) Civil Rights. (SLD) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** , ,, , ,1... t { " " ;,1 ,,,,, ', o ' , , r, ,'','"'.;., " ' ' : "II'''','t ',., ? 0 '7"74i -; T: 144.!' ''''' , 'ej'e' !' 11 "tiiiPilt'''''' '''. '01'';-, Hearing ""., 5 1" ""1 ", Beforekthe United States Commission on Civil Rights , EN Racial andthrMC ens/OiftteitaIn American Inequality, an A National . II ir 0, . 4'I 41: I t . I. Mfl U.S. Commission on Civil Rights The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is an independent, bipartisan agency first established by Congress in 1957 and reestablished in 1983. It is directed to: O Investigate complaints alleging that citizens are being deprived of their right to vote by reason of their race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or by reason of fraudulent practices; Study and collect information relating to discrimination or a denial of equal protection of the laws under the Constitution because of race, color, religion,sex, age, disability, or national origin, or in the administration of justice; O Appraise Federal laws and policies with respect to discrimination or denial of equal protection of the laws because of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability,or national origin, or in the administration of justice; Serve as a national clearinghouse for information in respect to discriminationor denial of equal protection of the laws because of race, color, religion,sex, age, disability, or national origin; O Submit reports, findings, and recommendations to the President and Congress; Issue public service announcements to discourage discriminationor denial of equal protection of the laws. Members of the Commission Mary Frances Berry, Chairperson Cruz Reynoso, Vice Chairperson* Carl A. Anderson Arthur A. Fletchert Robert P. George* Constance Horner* Russell G. Redenbaugh Charles Pei Wang Mary K. Mathews, Staff Director* * Was not a member of the Commission at the time of the hearing. t Was Chairperson of the Commission at the time of the hearing. :k Was not Staff Director of the Commission at the time of the hearing. Hearing Before the United States Commission on Civil Rights Racial and Ethnic Tensions in American Communities: Poverty, Inequality, and Discrimination A National Perspective Executive Summary and Transcript of Hearing Held in Washington, D.C. May 21-22, 1992 Contents Executive Summary 1 Sessions May 21, 1992, Morning Session 19 May 21, 1992, Afternoon Session 69 May 22, 1992, Morning Session 114 May 22, 1992, Afternoon Session 160 Opening Statement Chairperson Arthur A. Fletcher 19 Statement on Commission Rules Commissioner Mary Frances Berry 21 Panel One. Overview Panel I: Racial and Ethnic TensionsPart 1 Ellis Cose, Editorial Page Editor, New York Daily News, author of A Nation of Strangers: Prejudice, Politics, and the Populating of America 22 Joe Feagin, Professor of Sociology, University of Florida; author of The Bubbling Cauldron: Racial and Ethnic Issues in U.S. Cities (in preparation with M.P. Smith)24 Andrew Hacker, Professor of Political Science, Queens College, City University of New York; author of Two Nations: Black and White, Separate, Hostile, Unequal ... 26 Arthur Kropp, President, People for.the American Way; author of Democracy's Next Generation 28 Manning Marable, Professor of Political Science, History and Sociology, Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race in America, University of Colorado at Boulder; author of The Crisis of Color and Democracy 29 Clarence Page, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, Chicago Tribune 32 Panel Two. Overview Panel II: Racial and Ethnic TensionsPart 2 Arthur Flemming, Chairman, Citizens Commission for Civil Rights and National Education Commission 48 Edward A. Hailes, Jr., Counsel, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 49 Charles Kamasaki, Vice President, Office of Research, Advocacy, and Legislation, National Council of LaRaza 51 John Kromkowski, President, National Center for Urban Ethnic Affairs 53 Daphne Kwok, Executive Director, Organization of Chinese Americans, Inc. 55 Albert Mokhiber, President, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee 58 Panel Three. Hate Incidents Howard Ehrlich, Director of Research, National Institute Against Prejudice and Violence 69 Grace Flores Hughes, Director, Community Relations Service, U.S. Department of Justice 72 Jess Hordes, Washington Director, Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith 74 Danny Welch, Director, Klanwatch 75 Harper Wilson, Section Chief, Uniform Crime Reports Section, Federal Bureau of Investigation 77 5 Panel Four. Changing Demographics William O'Hare, Director of Population and Policy Research, University of Louisville . 94 Evelyn Hu-Dehart, Director, Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race in America, University of Colorado at Boulder 96 Gary Sandefur, Director, American Indian Studies Program, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin at Madison 99 Nancy Denton, Professor of Sociology, State University of New York at Albany; coauthor of American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass (forthcoming) 101 Panel Five. Multiculturalism Mary Futrell, Senior Consultant for the Quality Education for Minorities Network . 114 Robert Royal, Vice President and Fellow, Ethics & Public Policy Center 117 Joan Scott, Professor of Social Science, Institute for Advanced Studies 120 Roger Wilkins, Professor of History, George Mason University 123 Mike Anderson, Executive Director, National Congress of American Indians 125 Panel Six. Socioeconomic Factors, Part 1 Larry Lindsey, Governor, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve 139 Charles Murray, Bradley Fellow, American Enterprise Institute 141 Paul Peterson, Professor of Government, Harvard University 144 Panel Seven. Socioeconomic Factors, Part 2 Timothy Bates, Chair, Department of Urban Policy Analysis, New School for Social Research 160 Catherine Bessant, Senior Vice President for Community Reinvestment, NationsBank Corp. 162 Allen Fishbein, General Counsel, Center for Community Change 164 Billy Tidwell, Director of Research, National Urban League 166 Panel Eight. Civil Rights Ira Glasser, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union 185 Karen Narasaki, Washington Representative, Japanese American Citizens League . 188 Milton Morris, Vice President for Research, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies 190 Louis Nunez, President, National Puerto Rican Coalition 192 Stanley Sue, M.D., Professor of Psychology, University of California at Los Angeles 194 Executive Summary IntroductionThe Genesis of the RacialTensions Project In February 1991 the U.S. Commission on The Commission convened a task force com- Civil Rights (the "Commission") voted to embark prised of Commissioner Redenbaugh as its chair, upon a long-term investigation into the factors current Commission Chairperson, Mary Frances contributing to increased racial and ethnic ten- Berry, Commissioner Carl Anderson, and former sions throughout the United States. Discouraged Commissioner Esther Gonzalez-Arroyo Buckley. by the apparent escalation of racial