Revision with unchanged content. The Black-White racial dichotomy in the
American South is changing. Within the last 25 years, many southern
states have seen a dramatic increase in Latinos. How will the South
adjust to a racial and ethnic landscape that is not just Black and
White? More importantly, how will southern Whites hold on to their
privilege without being overtly racist? This study compares and
contrasts the self-employment experiences and hiring practices of Black,
Latino, and White entrepreneurs in the Atlanta construction industry.
The results suggest that while all of the contractors use color-blind
ideologies to justify their positions, these ideologies actually
solidify the racial hierarchy and continue to privilege White
contractors. White contractors also use several covert mechanisms such
as closed networks that disallow Blacks and Latinos from obtaining the
proper financing, lucrative contracts, and cheaper resources, including
labor. This book serves as a necessary comparative resource for scholars
and students in Sociology and other social sciences, who examine the
impact of race and ethnic relations, racism, and immigration on
entrepreneurship and the labor force in America.
