Tenacious Inequalities

Abstract

Inequalities of race and class in American society persist despite numerous redistributive policies instituted by the government. A proposal to attack racial disadvantages at the local level—a hiring preference ordinance—is used to explore how the material manifestations of race and class, local political activity, and the structural requirements of local government subverted its adoption. The cleavages of class and race eroded widespread political support for the proposal and weakened its potential for effective implementation; the demands on the local government undermined the mayor's relationship with the city council and divided minority elected officials from their grass-roots constituencies. The setting is Philadelphia in the 1980s.