Myths about Race and the Underclass

The prevalent view held by both academics and policy makers is that underclass behaviors are predominantly characteristic of African-American communities. Concern about such behaviors has expanded partly because the underclass phenomenon has diffused down the urban hierarchy to small- and medium-sized cities. This article demonstrates that in two areas of concentrated poverty in Columbus, Ohio, so-called underclass behaviors are not associated with race. Data from a study of neighborhood poverty and political participation in those areas are used to show that whites and African-Americans exhibit statistically indistinguishable and substantively similar levels of such behaviors.