Biracial individuals, as demarcated by having one white and one non-white parent, hold a unique social position in the United States. Situated in a white racial hierarchy, individuals of mixed races are, in some ways, caught between racial lines—they do not embody one racial category but rather two. Given that biracial individuals exist outside of established racial binaries, one is left wondering in what manner they racially identify. While some research argues that raced Americans (that is, those who are raced as non-white) are confined by their racial appearance and hence limited in ethnic identity options (Waters 1990; Gans 1979), more recent research finds that raced Americans experience a degree of opportunity and choice in the expression of an ethnic and/or racial identity (Khanna 2011). My research, situated between these two polar studies, finds that biracial individuals are at once both confined and free. Comprised of eleven interviews with biracial individuals across three racial categories (black, Asian and Latino), I ask: How do biracial individuals racially self-identify? In what manner and to what extent does phenotype affect the way in which individuals choose a particular identity? And how do individuals express their identity through ethnic and/or racial symbols? What I find is that, in support of Waters’ (1990) and Gans’ (1979) assertions, respondents’ phenotypes greatly affect the way in which they racially identify—respondents tend to draw on racial and ethnic symbols opposite their phenotype in order to either fit in or stand out. In particular, I find that phenotypically non-white respondents draw on American ethnicity in order to claim white affiliation and assimilation. At the same time, however, respondents, like Khanna’s (2011), maintain the freedom to draw on symbols of race and ethnicity. And regardless of phenotype, individuals predominately draw on symbols of non-whiteness to claim feelings of being different and unique.
America remains marred by inequality as major discrepancies persist in access to opportunity largely on the basis of race. Unequal lending practices have both excluded and exploited predominantly minority communities. This study aims to assess the prevalence of biased home mortgage lending practices through a case study of lending practices in Denver, Colorado. Using HMDA data from 2007-2013, this study examines the extent of lending discrepancies and how they have changed across varying financial and regulatory conditions stemming from the build up to and fall out from the financial crisis of 2008. The results of this study suggest minority applicants are denied loans and receive subprime loans at higher rates than white applicants. Furthermore, applications for loans in predominantly minority neighborhoods are subjected to greater rates of loan denial and subprime loans than majority white neighborhoods. In addition, white applicants were the main beneficiaries of the low home purchase prices following the financial collapse.
Charles W. Mills delivers the annual J. Glenn and Ursula Gray Memorial Lecture on "Race and Liberalism." Professor Mills’s first book, "The Racial Contract," reassessed the social contract philosophy at the heart of early modern Western constitutionalism and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Part of Notable Lectures & Performances, Colorado College. Recorded February 25, 2010.
The present study investigates the ideas of labor market discrimination within the National Basketball Association, specifically consumer discrimination through gate revenues collected at NBA games. Previous research has mainly focused on consumer-based discrimination on consumption of nationally televised games. These studies have shown a variety of results, but the majority imply that consumers discriminate against African-American players. Thus, teams with higher participation by white players enjoy increased revenues. This study will use similar techniques but will attempt to explain the determinants of gate revenues instead of television viewership. In order to accomplish this, an ordinary least squares (OLS) model will be employed, with a wide variety of explanatory variables in an attempt to best explain consumer's preferences when deciding to attend a professional basketball game. The current study has used a more recent data set than previous research. It is the goal of this study to determine if there is evidence of consumer discrimination in the unique labor market of the National Basketball Association.
In 1890, a delegation of Mississippi legislators met to debate and eventually ratify a new state constitution. The new provisions for this constitution disenfranchised the state's large African American male population through the poll taxes, literacy qualifications, and understanding clauses. Within the next decade most southern states followed Mississippi's lead and created new constitutions to disenfranchise their own black populations. In doing so Mississippi ushered in a new wave of leaglized racial discrimination and marginalization but the 1890 constitutional convention was the starting point for Mississippi's woman suffrage movement. The movement was a relatively brief but important instance of political organizing among both black and white Mississippian women. Issues of race and difference were nearly unavoidable in the woman suffrage movement and therefore reveal critical insights into Mississippi society and southern identity at the turn of the 20th century.
This study examines the effects of social class, race, and cultural capital on academic experience and social belonging at Colorado College. Survey data from a sample of Colorado College students about academic and social engagement at CC is analyzed in an attempt to explore how students are impacted by their social class, race, and cultural capital. Specifically, this study analyzes classroom engagement, intellectual confidence, and social belonging at Colorado College, focusing primarily on how social class and race/ethnicity intersect in ways to affect educational and social outcomes. Particular attention is paid to the ways in which “doubly disadvantaged” students, those who are first generation college students and students of color experience unique challenges at a predominantly white institution. The analysis suggests that first generation students of color face more challenges in the classroom and feel less connected to the student body than their peers. The study’s findings suggest that more attention and support need to be given to the “doubly disadvantaged” to help increase their academic and social engagement at CC. Additionally, this study advocates more research be done on the inequalities that working class minority students face within the education system.
Researchers commonly use an individualistic approach to understand mental health, focusing purely on the biological determinants influencing outcomes. This paper looks beyond biology and chemistry and identifies the social determinants responsible for mental health outcomes. This study takes a quantitative approach, using multiple regressions to identify and compare the significance of various social factors in accounting for mental health experiences. Results show that age, race, gender, social class, and social capital are important predictors of mental health. By focusing on the social conditions that shape health experiences, this paper hopes to show how studying mental health using a sociological standpoint can help address some of the inequities and fundamental causes of poor mental health.
