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Study Shows that in Restaurants, Race Matters

A new study from NC State University shows that more than one-third of restaurant servers discriminate against African-American customers.

Sarah Rusche, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at NC State, co-authored a paper describing the study with CHASS alum Dr. Zachary Brewster of Wayne State University, who earned his doctoral degree in sociology in 2009.

“Many people believe that race is no longer a significant issue in the United States,” Rusche says. “But the fact that a third of servers admit to varying their quality of service based on customers’ race, often giving African-Americans inferior service, shows that race continues to be an issue in our society.”

NC State News Services issued a news release about the pair’s research findings. News outlets around the globe have picked up on the story, including UPI, CBS Local, the Daily Mail (UK),the Digital Journal, and BuzzFeed.