Race and Place: Equity Issues in Urban America

Racism, racial equity, and the race-place connections related to racial inequalities in the U.S. are the major themes of this book. The long history of U.S. White racism toward Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians is deeply rooted in the political, socioeconomic, and intellectual frameworks of America, permitting racial inequities to become expressed as cultural landscapes—the places where many racial minorities exist. The contemporary geographic patterns of segregation and isolation are different from those of earlier U.S. history, but are equally damning and present extremely difficult challenges for social action in a nation that will change its racial/ethnic composition dramatically during the current generation.As America changes over the next quarter century, the visible and invisible race-place inequalities that help define U.S. urban geography will continue in housing, education, employment, travel requirements, shopping choices, environmental hazards, and other living conditions. Minority groups, ever increasing in numbers, will find inequalities unacceptable. How America deals with racial inequalities will likely have consequences for all its citizens.