Difference, Power, and Discrimination Program

This article analyzes the conditions of black contractors in the United States construction business in a southern metropolitan area during 1980 to 1989.  Feagin and Imani examine 76 in-depth interviews that provide evidence of the racial barriers faced by African American contactors in several parts of the construction industry.  The result from this study demonstrate how racial discrimination manifests in unions, white contractors, throughout the contracting and bidding processes, project conditions, bonding and lending, and the overall success of a black contractors work in the field.  The authors suggest an intersectional analysis of discrimination within entrepreneurship as a starting point for developing a greater understanding of racial inequalities in business enterprises.