ABSTRACT
Mainstream discourse touting the progress of America’s racial and ethnic minorities has generally been upbeat and optimistic even though there are significant racial differences in perceptions about whether America really is a society in which people of all races are treated similarly. Public discussions about race relations usually reflect White Americans’ views of race relations. This disparity in perception between Blacks and Whites was illustrated in a published account of a “conversation” between a young Black woman living in Washington, D.C. and a similarly aged White woman living in Seattle, Washington. The two women clearly differed in their perceptions of the continuing role of race as a determinant of one’s life chances. According to one report prepared by the Urban Institute of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, African American homebuyers continue to face discrimination from mortgage lending institutions.
