The Color Line and the Quality of Life in America

by Reynolds Farley, Walter R. Allen

This critically acclaimed work, first published by the Russell Sage Foundation, comprehensively examines the lives of black Americans from the 1940s to the early 1980s. Taking its facts from the 1980 census, but also considering the results of others taken during the period, the work studies every aspect of the lives of black people from fertility to mortality. It asks whether race determines career opportunities, and considers the kinds of schooling, employment and income received by black people. The work also describes black family life, and tackles the vexed question of residential segregation. The authors are careful to take into consideration the diversity in the black population, to avoid bland generalisations. They analyse theories often put forward about racial differences and set them in perspective against research findings.

520 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987