Racism's complexities

clipped from www.gossamer-wings.com African American salaries are 60% of white American salaries. Bill Gates has more wealth in securities than all black American households combined. 10,000 blacks have graduated from America’s top 25 business colleges in the last 25 years. But almost no blacks have ownership or stock options or are CEOs of top corporations especially the new high tech companies. Nor do blacks serve on the boards for Internet companies. In fact, a recent book, Black Wealth/White Wealth, authors Melvin Oliver and Thomas Shapiro say that systemic barriers to upward mobility have seriously impaired the ability of many black Americans to accumulate wealth and a better life. For example, the average white blue collar worker has been able to accumulate more wealth than the average black professional, at least in part due to the country’s history of racial oppression.