Gregory Fairchild

Unlearned Lessons From Letter From Birmingham Jail The Work Begun, the Progress Made, and the Task Ahead

A major tenet of Martin Luther King, Jr.s civil rights agenda involved dismantling legal segregation in the United States. King viewed social isolation of the races as a barrier to the American ideals of democracy, freedom, and equality. Despite many advances, racial isolation remains a feature of daily life in America, and the authors report the results of a study that illustrates how it supports and anneals segregation in the workplace. The authors draw from Letter From Birmingham Jail to gain insights into Kings notions about segregation, our responsibility to diminish it, and whether the arguments put forth in it have relevance for contemporary business thought leaders.

Racial Separation Influences on the Demography of Urban Small Firms

This study develops and estimates a model of residential segregation influences on demographic patterns in minority-owned firms. The prime hypothesis is that minority-owned firms in metropolitan areas with higher segregation will have a higher likelihood of hiring and servicing members of their own racial groups. Using data from the Multi-City Study of Urban Inequality (MCSUI), the papers primary hypotheses were supported. Results show that diversity in a firms workforce and customers varies inversely with the level of residential segregation in the area in which the firm is located.

Ecological Succession via Gentrification: The Response of Incumbent Entrepreneurs

Recent residential and commercial development patterns indicate resurgent movement into Americas urban central-city areas. This paper examines the responses of incumbent ethnic-enclave entrepreneurs to these environmental changes. Drawing on extant theory, the paper reviews traditionally argued advantages of a businesss location in ethnic enclaves and discusses potential limitations of these approaches. The paper develops preliminary hypotheses of incumbent response to neighborhood change, and these ideas are tested through a qualitative study of incumbent business owners in an ethnic enclave undergoing demographic transition. Findings indicate a pattern of responses that match Hirschmans (1970) Exit, Voice and Loyalty framework.