Expert: South Africa surpasses U.S. in racial equality

Praising South Africa as a nation that built democracy out of the shadows of tyranny, University of Delaware Psychology professor James Jones suggested that the United States could stand to learn something from South Africa. Racial inequality in the United States and social justice in South Africa were the topics of yesterday's lecture in Houston Hall. Jones discussed South Africa's recovery and transition from apartheid to multiracial democracy, expressing his belief that the United States could look to South Africa as an example of triumph over prejudice and racism. Jones presented the approximately 70-person audience with statistics indicative of the strained social climate in the United States. "The United States ranks sixth in the world in overall well-being, which includes literacy, health" and gross domestic product, Jones said. "If blacks were a country, they would be 32nd and Hispanics would be 34th." Jones went on to say that, without blacks or Latinos, the United States would rank No. 1 in the world for overall well-being. Jones suggested that racism remains a problem in the United States because, while there are constitutional protections for individual people, racism is directed at entire groups. [more ]