Using Statistics (Fred Speaking)
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			John			Malik

When you talk about creating a strong affirmative action plan in cases where there are traditionally segregated job categories, you are taking a giant step. You've stopped looking for any discrimination by any particular employer. You're looking only at the number of blacks and whites in this job or that job. AT BEST, you can claim that when there are very few blacks in a job category it is because of discrimination against someone at sometime in the past. But do the statistics really tell us that anyone was discriminated against? There are all kinds of occupations in which one group of people is wildly underrepresented or overrepresented. Do the numbers really prove there was discrimination?

There are lots of factors that can influence the kinds of jobs and the level of income that a racial or ethnic group has.

People in some ethnic groups are, on the average, younger than people in others. Some groups tend to marry younger, to have more children, or to have more unwed mothers. Some stay in school longer or study different subjects in college or graduate school. Some drink more alcohol or use more drugs.

Given all that, how can you just look at some statistics and infer that they are what they are because of racial discrimination somewhere along the line?

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