America's social order represents a history of conflict between the forces of unity and pluralism. The prevailing ideology of the evolving multi-group society has been assimilation or integration with the eventual loss of separate identity for component minority groups. Since the 1960s, however, separatism and individualism have become the most…

This speech, given by the director of the Community Relations Service of the U.S. Department of Justice at the annual meeting of the National Association of Human Rights Workers, urges community groups to continue their efforts in the area of intergroup relations in order to battle recent upsurges of racism. (Author/GPM)

Despite ethical directives, most consultants do not understand fully how issues such as race, ethnicity, class, and gender impact organizational functioning. This paper presents a model of organizational culture that includes race and multicultural concerns. The cultural synergy model is based on the assumption that organizations have multiple…

This study contrasts interracial communication patterns among students attending two desegregated schools which differed in organizational structure (one was a middle school and one a junior high school). Both schools were similar in size, student socioeconomic profile, and percent of white and black pupils. Multiple analysis of variance indicated…

Despite many heroic victories, the Civil Rights Movement has failed to significantly transform the underlying structure of White domination [according to this didactic essay on multiculturalism and racism]. It can also be said that the multicultural movement, which was an extension of the Civil Rights Movement, has failed to transform the deep…

Proposals to use interracial/cross-ethnic learning teams in desegregated classrooms raise issues from research that demonstrate the complicated nature of the relationship between learning teams and classroom interracial relations. According to the research, relationships are affected by the characteristics of learning teams, namely…

In a study of the relationships between school racial composition and intergroup hostility in 123 desegregated elementary schools, four measures of racial hostility were considered: (1) white attitudes toward desegregation; (2) whites' friendliness toward blacks as perceived by blacks; (3) white attitudes toward voluntary social interaction with…

The purposes of this essay are (1) to categorize briefly current approaches to the study of ethnicity in the social sciences, and (2) to suggest for discussion a distinctive perspective on ethnicity. Perspectives of accomodation and assimilation, minorities, cultural contact, social problems, conflict, and power can be used, it is asserted, to…

One of the valued premises of public education in the State of Washington is that curriculum in the schools must be left flexible, subject to the needs of each student and community, the judgment of professional educators, and the demands of society. The first purpose of this guide is to assist schools in maintaining self-determination. The second…

This paper explores the theoretical and research contributions of many authors concerning group status and intergroup relations. Highlighted are: (1) Coleman's insights on the classroom reward structure; (2) Pettigrew's principles for successful ethnic contact; (3) Sherif's experimental work on the reduction of intergroup hostility through the…

An intensive study of one desegregated school, located in a large northeastern industrial city, specifically sought to investigate peer interactions among sixth- and seventh-grade students in a racially mixed school. The basic data-gathering strategy involved observations conducted in classrooms, hallways, playgrounds, and the cafeteria. Observers…

The U.S. Air Force attempts to minimize racial and sexual discrimination by incorporating federal laws into its infrastructure and by exercising consistent enforcement of these laws. This leads to a development of cross-cultural communication among various subcultures within a multi-ethnic environment. The Social Actions Office at each Air Force…