Chicago Poems - Review

If Carl Sandburg were observing today's Chicago, he would find stark comparisons between the city of the early 20th century described in his "Chicago Poems" and the one that exists now, write authors Haya Stier and Marta Tienda in their new book, "The Color of Opportunity." Inspired by Sandburg's raw depiction, the authors write that "Race and ethnic competition over jobs and social positions remain a defining feature of Chicago's social history." Stier and Tienda argue that ethnic prejudice, class inequality and the drudgery of work in present-day Chicago show how color and race restrict opportunity. "Chicago is an ideal case study to investigate how economic opportunity is delimited for minority populations," they write. "Because of the extreme residential and economic segregation of the city, any effects on race and place are likely to be more pronounced in Chicago." Stier, a senior lecturer in the department of labor studies and sociology at Tel Aviv University, and Tienda, a professor of sociology at Pri nceton University, found that in Chicago, chronic poverty, underemployment and reliance on welfare are more pervasive among African Americans and Latinos as compared to whites. "The Color of Opportunity," is published by the University of Chicago Press.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Community Renewal Society
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