Walter C. Farrell

Recent racial incidents in higher education: A preliminary perspective

The goal of this paper is to provide a contemporary perspective on the recent resurgence of racially motivated harassment and violence directed against minority students at predominantly white institutions of higher education. In achieving this goal, first an overview of minority student experiences on white campuses is given. Second, their experiences are linked to general perceptions of racism in contemporary society. Third, a delineation of the scope of racial-ethnic incidents on campuses of predominantly white institutions is made through a content analysis of a national and selected local and black-oriented newspapers. Finally, an assessment is made of the prospects for change. We argue that the recent upsurge in racism against minority students on white college and university campuses was implicitly encouraged by the previous national administration and by majority individuals in leadership roles. Finally, we argue that to combat these problems, university officials must begin to indicate in a direct way that racist actions will not be tolerated and that infractions will be dealt with severely.

Los Angeles One Year Later: A Prospective Assessment of Responses to the 1992 Civil Unrest

Selected responses to the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest are critically evaluated in terms of their ability to address the root causes of the disturbances. The authors conclude that the grassroots initiatives are far more likely to effectuate positive change in the lives of the disadvantaged and to rebuild the communities of south central Los Angeles and other affected areas than the initiatives launched by the public and the private sectors.

An Empirical Assessment of Four Perspectives on the Declining Fortunes of the African-American Male

The authors use data from the Los Angeles Survey of Urban Inequality to empirically test the utility of four perspectives advanced to explain the declining social and economic fortunes of the African-American male over the past quarter century: the spatial isolation hypothesis, the cultural capital/employer preference hypothesis, the search-and-destroy hypothesis, and the social capital hypothesis. They assess the utility of these hypotheses by exploring the labor market experiences of African-American males in metropolitan Los Angeles, focusing specifically on the determinants of labor force participation and comparing their experiences with those of their white and Hispanic male counterparts.

African American Males and Capital Muerder: A Death Penalty Mitigation Strategy.

This paper outlines an alternative, contextual framework for analyzing capital murder cases involving young Black males. To illustrate the utility of the framework, we draw upon the findings of rec...

Kenneth and Mamie Clark Revisited: Racial Identification and Racial Preference in Dark-Skinned and Light-Skinned Black Children.

When repeated, Kenneth and Mamie Clarks famous study of 1947 produces sharply different results.

Utilizing the PK scale of the MMPI‐2 to detect posttraumatic stress disorder in college students

This study investigated the utility of the PK scale of the MMPI-2 with college students. Results indicated that the PK scale, when combined with DSM IV criteria, does discriminate between college students who obtain a score of 65 or higher and those who score below 65.

Assessing the Employment Impacts of the Los Angeles Civil Unrest of 1992: Furthering Racial Divisions:

Using data from a recent survey of over 4,000 households, the authors estimate that nearly 100,000 jobs were lost because of the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest and that only 26,000 jobs have been created in the rebuilding effort, resulting in a net loss of 74,000 jobs. Non-Hispanic Whites suffered 15% of the civil-unrest-related job loss, but they captured 60% of the employment opportunities created in the rebuilding process. The restoration efforts have done little to aid Hispanics, Blacks, and Asians, who made up 85% of those who lost jobs as a result of the civil disturbance. Instead, these efforts appear to have contributed to the growing racial and ethnic divisions in Los Angeles.