Findings Findings represent the information received by the committee. They are derived from published materials, from facts reported by resource people, and from a consensus of the committee's understanding of the opinions of resource people.
Introduction We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Declaration of Independence, 1776 No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor to deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, 1868 Across the country, people are in pursuit of the "American Dream"—happiness, economic prosperity, good health, personal growth and fulfillment, peace, and a host of other values shared regardless of one's racial or ethnic background. Yet in Jacksonville today, as in America, the color of one's skin still affects the pursuit of one's dreams. On average, according to the 2000 U.S. Census and other measures, blacks continue to fare worse than whites and most other racial and ethnic groups in education, employment, income, access to health care, and health outcomes. Blacks also are more likely to be incarcerated and to be discriminated against in housing. Despite legal equality fought for and achieved in the Civil Rights Movement, these differences persist. Discovering the reasons for the disparities is difficult because the disparities are tightly intertwined. Disparities in employment status, for example, are tied closely to differences in access to health care (through private health insurance coverage) and housing (the availability and location of an affordable home). Housing location, with some exceptions, relates directly to public school district boundaries. Disparities in educational outcomes, such as graduation rates or test scores, often correlate with family income and school placement. Disparities in educational outcomes in turn affect future employment and family income. Race-based disparities in the quality of life in Jacksonville negatively affect race relations. They serve as constant reminders of a divided, unequal community. Among many racial and ethnic minorities, they reinforce anger, resentment, and mistrust against
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Beyond the Talk: Improving Race Relations Study
those who are perceived to benefit from the current situation but who appear not to be addressing the disparity issue. Residential and social segregation isolates and insulates many in the community from the issue, and what they do see may only reinforce traditional stereotypes and fears. The issue is yet more complex. Tensions in race relations stem not only from racial disparities, but also from the cumulative effect of historical grievances, differing perceptions of ongoing discrimination, and frustration with government and other institutional attempts at remedies. Comments from study participants demonstrated this tension: anger at past injustice; anxiety that a particular minority may be left out of the process; distrust of "one more study" after past efforts failed to produce desired changes; denial that a race relations problem exists; frustration that government already gives too many benefits to minorities; and more. One resource speaker described the results in this fashion: "For blacks, it's always about race. For whites, it's never about race." How people experience life in Jacksonville affects how they perceive race relations and the extent of the underlying problems. Jacksonville has experienced a pattern of periodic community incidents causing flare-ups of racial tension. These incidents are often perceived in different ways; for many whites, the incident is an aberration that should and can be resolved by directly addressing the immediate issue. For many blacks, the incident provides visible evidence of underlying systemic problems that have never been adequately addressed.
Demographics of race History and culture have made race an important aspect of identity in American society. The 2000 Census shows that Duval County's population continues to grow more diverse, which impacts efforts to understand and to improve race relations. Race is an imprecise concept. As few as six out of 40,000 genes in the human body are involved in determining skin color, far fewer than the number of genetic divergences that biologists use to identify separate classifications within a species. At the same time, the identification of people and their status in society based on race has a long history in America. The U.S. Census has always classified people by race. Traditionally, American public policy has followed the concept that someone with ancestors of more than one racial or ethnic group is classified with the racial category of lowest social status. Also known as the "one-drop rule," this policy meant that one nonwhite ancestor, however remote, was sufficient (if known) to classify an individual as a minority, which often had significant negative legal and social implications.