ABSTRACT
Racial conflict between Blacks and Whites is an entrenched and much analyzed reality of life in the United States. The legacy of racial oppression is written into the Constitution, cultural icons and belief systems, the social structure and individual psyche (Jones, 1997a). But that historical narrative is told and retold with different meanings across generations and racial groups. The symbolic images of America's racial history are selectively remembered and celebrated as are the salient historical facts. The narratives of racial oppression (slavery) and discrimination (Jim Crow) diverge depending on whether you belong to the dominant group of Whites, or the subordinate group of Blacks. Racial inequality is a fact of life in America, but cognitive representations and psychological consequences of its causes and manifestations depend on your group's position in American society.
