African-Americans, West Indians, Model Minorities, and the Movement for Racial Equality in the United States

The case of American-born West Indians vs African Americans is used to debunk the model minority construction that explains the lower position of African Americans in the stratification hierarchy by pointing to defects in their culture. A sample from the 15 Metropolitan Statistical Area/Population Metropolitan Statistical Areas having the largest concentrations of West Indians was used to compare the socioeconomic status of American-born West Indians & African Americans. The results of Probit regression comparisons showed West Indians to be better educated & more likely to be employed in full-time, higher-status occupations than African Americans. Although West Indian women exhibited higher earned incomes than African American women, the picture was less clear for men. The findings support the thesis that West Indians' success was the result of a beneficial "opportunity structure," not cultural superiority. However, the relative socioeconomic status of West Indians has declined & is approaching that of African Americans, suggesting that Black Americans are becoming homogenized into a single racial category. It is concluded that affirmative action must be restored, strengthened, & viewed in the widest possible context. 5 Tables, 88 References. J. Lindroth