Despite mountains of studies to the contrary, police are absolutely convinced that most of the country's crime and violence comes with a black or Latino face. Then there are taxicabs. Many blacks shake with rage as cabs ignore their signals then stop a few feet away to pick up whites. In retail stores black customers are often followed by security guards and ignored by sales personnel. In residential neighborhoods, black contractors, gas and telephone company employees are often watched and followed by residents and harassed by police.
Corporations issue glowing press releases and brochures that boast of their commitment to diversity.
Yet ten out of ten senior managers in most corporations are white, and the number of black CEOs can still be counted on both hands. Many blacks insist that they receive less pay, fewer promotions and more harassment on the job than whites. The majority of black businesses receive little if any capital from financial institutions, and many of those that do pay higher interest rates than white-owned businesses. Nearly nine out of ten employed adult blacks have almost no income but their wages. The median net worth for black households was one-seventh of the median for white households in 1992, a figure that has not budged much since.