Segregated Perspective

The Journal sure does like to revisit the same story, year after year. In this case, I'm referring to an ongoing debate over the measurement of segregation in Milwaukee. Recent Brookings Institute research put Milwaukee, again, at the top of the list of most segregated metropolitan areas.

But, the Journal wants to introduce a caveat and take the Pollyanna route of reporting. Whenever the segregation issues arises, the Journal consults John Pawasarat and Lois Quinn of the Employment & Training Institute at UWM. They have their own model for measuring segregation. They feel the Census model is "racist". Their model shows although there is segregation in Milwaukee, it's really not that bad or that different from certain other metro areas.

Like many issues, it seems our media prefers to sugarcoat and obfuscate rather than report. Similarly they prefer just mentioning the lower unemployment rate, rather than the jobless rate. Things just aren't that bad, so stop being such a downer.

Again we're arguing over degrees of difference, rather than discussing and developing actions to alleviate segregation. This is a great sideshow, but it does nothing to integrate our economy and move us forward.

For Further Reading:

Getting The Facts Right About Milwaukee Segregation

Life In Milwaukee: Black And White

Quantifying Milwaukee's Segregation