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HOW RACE IS LIVED IN OBERLIN IS FOCUS OF NEW COMMUNITY SURVEY

JUNE 19, 2001--How race is lived in Oberlin is the question a newly formed Race Relations Committee (RRC) has been asking local businesses, churches and organizations. Daphne John, associate professor of sociology at Oberlin College, helped the committee collect the data for their survey.

The purpose of the survey is to foster open dialogue about race relations and improve living and working conditions for the entire Oberlin community. The initial findings of the survey were shared last Friday after a community picnic at Spring Street park, and the final report will be available this week at public sites around town.

For the last two months John has been serving as a consultant for the group, which includes individual citizens concerned about race relations in the community. John worked with the committee on the survey design to obtain a sampling of the demographics and policies of organizations in Oberlin pertaining to issues of race and ethnicity.

The survey was administered to local businesses, churches, institutions and organizations during late May and early June by RRC bi-racial interview teams. Approximately 47 percent or 61 of the 129 identified businesses and institutions in Oberlin were asked to participate. Of the 61 groups contacted, 34 or 56 percent responded positively and appointed respondents who would officially speak for their organizations.

The survey asked questions that would determine to what extent local employers and organization heads recruit for diversity and to what degree race is correlated with income and education, income and availability of quality affordable housing.

Among the factors the survey addresses are ethnic distribution of qualified employees, managers and board members; ethnic characteristics of the persons they serve; and the number of local residents currently employed in the community of Oberlin. The RRC also asked community members to list resources they felt were needed to help organizations and businesses become more accessible to people of different backgrounds.

Media Contact: Betty Gabrielli