African Americans In The U.S. Economy

The forty-three chapters in African Americans in the U.S. Economy focus on various aspects of the economic status of African Americans, past and present. Taken together, these essays present two related themes: first, when it comes to economics, race matters; second, racial economic discrimination and inequality persist despite the optimistic predictions of standard economic analysis that racial discrimination cannot thrive in a free-market economy.

Cecilia A. Conrad is the Stedman-Sumner Professor of Economics at Pomona College. She has authored or edited several monographs, including Building Skills for Black Workers: Preparing for Future Labor Markets; is the current editor of The Review of Black Political Economy; and is an associate editor of Feminist Economics. She is a recipient of the 2002 California Professor of the Year Award, an honor presented by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. John Whitehead is professor of economics and African American studies at City College of San Francisco. He has written extensively on racial economic inequality and community economic development and is the coeditor, with Cobie Kwasi Harris, of Readings in Black Political Economy. He is the founder and chairperson of the Committee on the Impact of Globalization on U.S. Minorities. Patrick Mason is associate professor of economics and director of the African American Studies Program at the Florida State University. He has authored or edited over forty journal articles, book chapters, and professional studies, including The International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. He is currently chair of the Committee of the Status of Minorities in the Economics Profession and is the past president of the National Economics Association. James B. Stewart is professor of labor studies and industrial relations, African and African American studies, and management and organization at Penn State University. He has authored or edited numerous books including Black Families: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, served as editor of The Review of Black Political Economy, and served as president of the National Economics Association. Dr. Stewart recently completed two terms as president of the National Council for Black Studies (1997-2001).