eparation that can be just as difficult to overcome. Discrimination occurs in different areas of life and has differing effects on jobs, housing, and family life. Discrimination exists because of the perception that one group in society is more expensive, more trouble, more prone to crime, more prone to defaulting on loans, and generally more in need of monitoring.
Racial discrimination in America is outlawed, but it still takes place and can be difficult to prove in some forms. Housing is an area where discrimination seems to take place often, yet it is not always possible to prove that an individual was denied a rental or sale in a particular area because of race. A recent report by a fair-housing group suggested evidence of discrimination against Latinos by major home mortgage lenders in Cleveland. This report from the federally commissioned Hispanic Housing Rights Project determined that "it is more than likely" that Latinos trying to obtain insurance for homes on Cleveland's West side would experience some degree of discrimination. This was the result of a 23-month study funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which gave a $200,000 grant to Housing Advocates Inc., a local fair-housing law firm, to conduct this study, which was done in conjunction with the Cuyahoga Plan of Ohio, the Women's Center of Greater Cleveland, and the Spanish American Committee. The research matched 75 pairs of white and Latino testers posing as first-time home buyers. They were assigned roles and provided with a photo and descriptions of a specific home, and the homes assigned to each pair of testers had virtually identical market values, size, and location. The testers called an insurance agent to obtain a quote on homeowner's insurance and then recorded their experiences for review. It was found that more than half the time, Latinos had trouble getting a comparable quote to that of their white counterparts. Among th...