in Vietnam, the Civil Rights movement, and other forces viewed differently among different ethnic groups. Lukas writes as well about the issues with local impact, especially the school busing issue that affected the families in this book directly. That issue was one which pitted ethnic groups directly against one another, and society has faced a number of such issues since. The Supreme Court right now is considering the issue of affirmative action and whether it is to be continued or not, and this is an issue that is divisive and that we often believe is supported by blacks and opposed by whites, though there are blacks and whites on both sides of the issue. Other issues as well are sometimes seen as "black" issues or "white" issues when in fact the issue is more complex. While only two respondents were interviewed for this report, the complexity of some of these issues is apparent in a comparison of their views.
The first respondent is a black male about 40 years of age. He works for a major insurance company in an administrative capacity, and he has been with this company for several years. He was born in Newark, Ohio but now lives in Agoura Hills, California. He received a B.S. degree from Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio, majoring in business administration. He received an M.B.A. at Hood University in Maryland and a second M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. He worked for the insurance company during this period, noting that he often put in 12-hour days while he went to school at night. He started with the company in 1968, and he has advanced far since that time. He notes proudly that he is the first black to achieve many different positions in the company--first black vice president, first black division director, and first black regional vice president. Yet, he feels that his promotion was not because he was black but in spite of it and that his ability and hard work are the reasons for his success. ...