RACE - The Power of an Illusion . Background Readings | PBS: Hispanics who identify themselves racially as black take on economic and social characteristics that more closely mirror those of African-Americans than of other Hispanics, according to a study on the often overlooked group released Monday.
The findings by the Lewis Mumford Center of SUNY Albany said that the nearly 1 million black Hispanics identified by the 2000 U.S. Census are more educated than other Hispanics, less likely to be immigrants and less likely to speak a language other than English.
Yet their economic performance is worse, with a lower median household income than other Hispanics, as well as higher unemployment and poverty rates.
John R. Logan, the author of the study and director of the Mumford Center, attributed the economic disparity between black Hispanics and other Hispanics to the 'very strong color line in the United States.'
'The opportunity structure here is that when people decide who to hire, or to rent to, when it comes right down to it, race does make a difference,' he said.
