America's black, American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Hispanic minorities comprise a substantial and growing proportion of the population. Inequalities between the majority white race and minority races are primarily the result of sociocultural factors. Skin color is a minor biological characteristic, but it is a major sociocultural factor.

The meaning of the problem and the diminished quality of life it imposes on minorities may be summed up in terms of citizenship rights; economic opportunities; the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and the right to dignity as a human being. In each of these four areas, it is a distinct advantage to be white. Minorities have been deprived of basic citizenship rights, such as the right to vote and the right to be governed by, and be equal before, the law. Economically, minorities have suffered discrimination in employment opportunities and income. With respect to the value Americans place on life and happiness, minorities have been disadvantaged in terms of life chances. They often have lived in fear and been treated as though their lives were of less value than the lives of whites. Their right to dignity has been violated by the myth of "success around the comer " and the myth of inferiority.

An important social structural factor that contributes to the problem is institutional racism. Minorities are kept clustered in the lower levels of the stratification system and are exploited by the normal policies and practices of institutions, including the mass media, education, the economy, and government. Social psychological factors of attitudes, values, and ideologies of both the white majority and the minorities compound the structural discrimination. While the social structural factors lead to devaluation of minorities, the social psychological factors can lead, in addition, to self-defeating behavior on the part of minorities.