Panelists speak on race, public opinion

Students and professors gathered in Lorch Hall yesterday to hear a panel of experts speak on race and opinion.

Harvard sociology Prof. Lawrence Bobo spoke about his theory of laissez-faire racism and his research regarding blacks' and whites' perceptions of welfare, health insurance and racial stereotypes.

Bobo said racism has not diminished as much as many people believe. Economic status and political orientation did not alter the sense of polarization felt by many black Americans. Bobo said his study shows that welfare policies are overtly racially targeted.

"The real question is what is construed as racism," Bobo said. "The new craft of race-neutral policies that would never be tainted with race or ethnicity are linked to how people think about race. The real issue is how rhetoric visions deal with race without being completely defined by race."

Tracey Meares, a law professor at the University of Chicago, said citizens must ask themselves how much attitudes have changed since the era of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"A way to cause crime reduction is through community empowerment," Meares said. "We need to substantiate the black church and the police and the state."

Bobo said there is underlying racism in many policies that may seem neutral.

"The media has done an extent of damage," Bobo said. "They have done the worst job of handling welfare issues, as if it were concretely an African American issue. There are many other people that are on welfare. They must have gone just to the black part of southcentral L.A. to come up with this stereotype."

The panelists said liberals should not step away from making policies to support racial equality.

David Harris, a demographer and professor at the University of Chicago, rhetorically asked how statistics translate into human behavior. Harris said housing and racial desegregation are critical in helping to create a level playing field for people of all races.

"It is harder for blacks to get financing for their housing and health insurance," Harris said. "In theory, we could legislate all that through more desegregation in neighborhoods. Would that mean that blacks would have to move in order to achieve racial integration, or should we expect whites to run if blacks come to their neighborhood?"

Harris found that there has been a decline in whites expressing that they would move if blacks moved into their neighborhood.

"Its still high. They won't run as fast but they will run as far," Harris said. "One's social class has clearly been determined by racial issues."

Demographic mobility can't overtly show that it is motivated by racism, Harris said. People often say they move in the name of better schooling for their children.

Bobo said affirmative action is the only proactive method of getting companies to change hiring and promotion policies. Eliminating affirmative action could cause a backslide, he said.

"When affirmative action was instilled, people had to do something proactive," Bobo said. "There is no stand still when it comes to this topic. You're either in drive or reverse."

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