The Importance of "Contact"

Though I've not had many posts lately, it doesn't mean I've given the Letters Editor at the Boston Globe a break.

In response to a Boston Globe editorial and article on a local survey on race; the survey results seemed to be interpreted in both the editoral and the article as an indictment of whites for not interacting with minorities more; maybe I was overly sensitive:

Editor,

Wow, in a state where only 6 out of every 100 people are African-American, 61% of whites polled said they have little to no contact on a daily basis with African-Americans (Race still matters, editorial, December 18, A14; Increased diversity, separate lives, December 18, B1). This surprises anyone?

Conversely, in a state where 83 out of every 100 people are white, 33% of African-Americans polled said they have little to no contact on a daily basis with whites.

Optimistically, which race is doing a better job of seeking out the other race? Pessamistically, which race is too successful in hiding from the other race? Or, are both races doing exactly the same seeking and hiding and everything in between and the first "contact" percentage cited is simply the result of there being so few African-Americans relative to whites?

I would not dare guess how 1 out of every 3 African-Americans say they come into so little contact with whites given the abundancy of whites without asking a few more questions.

Anyway, until we know more about why the numbers reported are as they are, it is irresponsible to publish such numbers, especially if the numbers are going to be construed negatively against one race.

Why did the respondents respond they way they did? When the Center for Survey Research at UMass-Boston has an answer to this question then I think the Boston Globe will have a story worth publishing . . . and we'll know a lot more about how to improve relations between the races. (End of letter.)