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Joe R. Feagin, Kevin E. Early
and Karyn D. McKinney
excerpted from: Joe R. Feagin, Kevin E. Early and
Karyn D. McKinney, The Many Costs of Discrimination: the Case of
Middle-class African Americans , 34 Indiana Law Review 1313-1360,
1334-1344 (2001)(186 Footnotes)
II. Research Methods
To begin this serious sociological examination of the perceived costs
of racial discrimination, we conducted five exploratory focus groups
with economically successful African Americans, two in the Midwest and
three in the Southeast. We secured thirty-seven participants, sixteen in
the Midwest and twenty-one in the Southeast. Of those who reported their
age, the majority (seventeen) were between thirty-one and forty years of
age, with five between twenty-one and thirty and twelve between
forty-one and sixty. Among those reporting their education, most
(nineteen) had pursued graduate work beyond a four year college degree,
while thirteen others had completed some college work or earned a
college degree. Only one reported not having gone to college. Among
those who reported family income, the majority (twenty-five) had an
income that was $31,000 a year or more, with fourteen reporting income
above $50,000. Eight listed a family income at $30,000 a year or less.
The respondents reported a variety of occupations, mostly in
professional or managerial positions. Twenty-seven were female, and ten
were male. In the analysis, we quote from about eighty percent of the
focus group participants. |
