8 William Julius Wilson Quotes on Race

William Julius Wilson quotes on race

1. A lot of joblessness in the black community doesn't seem to be reachable through fiscal and monetary policies. People have not been drawn into the labor market even during periods of economic recovery. Our study clearly shows that employers would rather not hire a lot of workers from the inner city. They feel people from the inner city are not job-ready, that the kids have been poorly educated, that they can't read, they can't write, they can't speak.

6. A black, middle-class kid, even though his parents may be middle income - maybe they're first-generation middle class - has also been affected by race issues.

14. Class-based affirmative action is good in its own right, but it is not a substitute for race-based affirmative action.

25. In the first half of the 1990s, there was an effort to severely divide racial and ethnic groups.

38. That's why I support affirmative action that's based on both class and race.

52. What I did, you see, in The Truly Disadvantaged, as well as in When Work Disappears, I tried to demonstrate the importance of the environment in black life chances.

55. Whites, blacks, Asians, Native Americans, and Latinos need to begin thinking less about their differences and more about the things they have in common - their aspirations, problems, and hopes - so that they see the need and the potential of mutual cooperation across racial lines.

57. You give me a set of conditions and I can produce racism in any society. You give me a different set of conditions and I can reduce racism. You give me a situation where there are a sufficient number of social resources so people don't have to compete for those resources, and I will show you a society where racism is held in check.