Stark differences exist between the white community s and the minority community s perception of equal employment opportunity. A survey of the Moorhead community shows that whites assume that equal opportunity in employment and earning a livelihood exists, and the testimony of public leaders supports the survey results. In contrast, minorities perceive barriers to equal employment opportunity. The per capita income of minorities in Moorhead is one-third that of whites, minorities are clustered in the lowest paying jobs of the labor force, and public employment opportunity is virtually closed to minorities. All these factors support the perceptions of the minority community.
Minorities are disproportionately underrepresented in the public work force.
In employment opportunity with the city administration, in the public schools, and within the police department minorities are significantly underrepresented proportional to their population. This lack of minorities in public sector employment is at distinct variance from the usual practice in most larger communities, where the public sector is the leader in offering equal employment opportunity. The city of Moorhead should commit to an affirmative action program designed to recruit, hire, and promote people of color. Affirmative action programs are forms of outreach to formerly excluded segments of society not programs of preferences or quotas. Moorhead remains a color-conscious community.