ABSTRACT
The fairness procedures that evolved during the 1970s and 1980s reflected the emphasis on the rights of subgroups of Americans—whether the subgroup was defined as African American, Hispanic American, or Asian American—and the rights of other groups, such as females and individuals with disabilities. Before the Civil Rights legislation of 1960s began to take effect and transform the United States from a largely segregated to a more integrated society, race/ethnicity served as a convenient surrogate for a construct that might be called opportunity to succeed in society. Interracial marriage was illegal in some southern states prior to 1965. Housing discrimination was legal. Intermarriage is not uncommon, and many neighbor-hoods are far more integrated than they were in the mid-1960s. The integration that has occurred since the mid-1960s that has seriously diminished the value of using race/ethnicity as a readily available surrogate. The chapter also presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book.
