In this study, the author examines the portrayal of poverty in economics textbooks. The author tests the hypothesis that Blacks are disproportionately represented among the poor. In other words, she analyzes whether poverty is predicted as a “Black” problem. She found evidence that Black faces are overwhelmingly portrayed among the contemporary poor. She also demonstrates that Blacks are not portrayed among the Great Depression era poor, a particularly sympathetic group of poor people. In addition, Blacks are not used to illustrate a popular social welfare program—Social Security.
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