Using survey data from the 1960s and 1990s, the authors examine trends
in racial attitudes in Detroit in the post-civil rights era. They inv
estigate the degree to which African-Americans and whites see themselv
es as victims of their racial circumstances and how each group has cha
nged its perceptions of the other group. Whereas whites seem more acce
pting of residential integration than they were earlier, they are more
likely to see themselves as victims of discrimination and less likely
to see African-Americans as victims. The authors find no indication o
f improving racial perspectives among African-Americans but do uncover
signs of heightened tensions.