About this project
      The U.S. census made official last year what most of us already knew -- Metro Detroit is the nation's most segregated area.
      And while many people, regardless of race, seem outwardly content living politely separate lives here, some are unaware there's a price for that preference.

Reports in this series
Go Part I: Racial Attitudes
The Detroit News looks at Metro Detroit's sometimes startling attitudes toward segregation today, the extent and reasons for racial separation and how they play out in the lives of families white and black.

Go Part II: Paying for Preferences
Segregation is the norm for Metro Detroiters, but it carries heavy costs. From segregated schools to stagnant property values to a lack of exposure to the nation's increasing diversity, we pay for our preferences.

Go Part III: Where We're Headed
Are we fated to continue living apart? If so, what will the future toll be? The Detroit News looks at the factors that could break down racial barriers, the factors that keep them standing and how living patterns in other metropolitan areas have changed.

Go Part IV: Community Forum
Calling segregation a silent curse that can no longer be ignored, more than 200 people from across Metro Detroit gathered to look for ways to close the chasm between blacks and whites.

Go Part V: The Impact of Affluence
Blacks and whites in Metro Detroit pay steep but unequal prices for their segregated living patterns. The Detroit News study found that Metro Detroit is unusual in the way that blacks and whites live apart at virtually every income level.






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Tuesday, February 19, 2002

Image
Donna Terek / The Detroit News

Keith Davis of Detroit, left, David Greenwood, center, and Euni Rose, both of Southfield, joined the session on community, where participants said inaccurate perceptions often shape how suburban and urban residents view and interact with each other.

Metro Detroiters tackle race divide
SOUTHFIELD -- Calling segregation a silent curse that can no longer be ignored, more than 200 people from across Metro Detroit gathered Monday to look for ways to close the chasm between blacks and whites. 02/19/02

What The News reported
Metro Detroit pays price for segregation
Metro Detroit is deeply divided by race, and its people pay every day for that stark division. 02/19/02

Government
Role of public policy uncertain
Government's role in promoting racial integration has always been controversial, and Monday's town hall forum on segregation was no exception. 02/19/02

Business
Companies can assume lead in diversity
A mentor program for minority businesses is one way the local business community can help break down the barriers to integration, according to a panel that met Monday as part of the Detroit News/WDIV town hall forum on segregation. 02/19/02

Education
Student interaction eases tension
Metro Detroiters may not agree on exactly how to deal with school segregation, but after heated exchanges during Monday's workshop, it's clear they feel passionately about it. 02/19/02

Children
Youths play pivotal role in reversing trend
Less tarnished by decades of division, youths can have a larger role in reversing Metro Detroit's status as the most racially split metropolis in the United States. 02/19/02

Community
Perceptions shape racism
The absence of a mass transit system, a lack of understanding between city and suburban residents and negative perceptions of Detroiters contribute to the dogged racial divide in Metro Detroit, said participants at The Detroit News/WDIV forum on segregation Monday. 02/19/02

Religion
Compassion key to breaking barriers
Two white pastors were eating lunch together with two black pastors when an uncomfortable question came up. 02/19/02

Community Forum
What they're saying: Comments from Metro Detroiters
 02/19/02

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