The Disproportionate Overrepresentation of Minority Youth in ...

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The trend in the interviews, for the most part, was one of optimism for blacks in
the future. Most of the youth feel things will “settle down” and opportunities will
improve.
Many of the whites who responded positively to this question elaborated very
little. As one white youth said, “It’a pretty much up to them, the individual.” Yet some of
the whites who chose to justify their prediction of a bright future for blacks held to some
negative stereotypes. One white youth said, “Ever since slavery was abolished it has
continued to improve.” And another said opportunities for blacks would “improve
because they have that college fund and I think that there will be more of that coming
around.”
While most blacks indicated that things would improve, some predicted the
attainment of some sort of superiority. A black youth said, “We will be ahead of whites
pretty soon.” When asked how black people would get ahead he responded, “More riots
and all that.” He does not see violence as a good thing, “but that’s how it’s got to be since
there’s no other way. That’s the way it’s working now.”
There were some blacks who did not feel there was any hope of improvement and
approached life on a day—by-day basis. Interestingly enough, there was within each race
an individual who did not feel things would get better and placed the blame on their own
race. A black male felt things would get worse for blacks “because they cause a lot of
trouble and don’t go to school as much.” A white female said that things are going to,