French Lesson: Taunts on Race Can Boomerang

Its egalitarian principles do not allow France to officially acknowledge the existence of its minorities, but those minorities do indeed exist – and their story is not a happy one. No one knows exactly how many blacks live in France, but hardly any of them hold positions of economic or political power. Hemmed in by a "low glass ceiling," the lucky among them escape corporate discrimination by starting their own businesses or moving abroad. The less fortunate die in fires, as forty-eight black Parisians have done since April alone. Although the French have long criticized American racism, the French media's fascination with the racial fallout of Hurricane Katrina has prompted many to look for parallels close to home. – YaleGlobal