“Why Wouldn’t I Have Asked Him?”: Herbert Gans, Chapter 9 of the Kerner Report, and the Resolution of a Dilemma

Abstract

There are always a number of stories involved in any group report. The 700-page Kerner Report, which sought to explain the causes of the rioting that had occurred in 1967, is no exception. Some of these stories have been previously discussed in other works. However, given the magnitude of the Kerner Commission’s assignment, it is not surprising that many of its stories have not yet been told. One such example is the story behind the writing of the report’s Chapter 9 that concluded that the black and European immigrant experiences were not comparable. Not originally contemplated, the chapter’s need surfaced only about a month before the Commission completed its work. How it came to be, how one of the nation’s foremost sociologists became involved, and how it helped the Commission keep its breakneck pace is what one former staff member calls a “fascinating backstory” and further increases our knowledge of the Commission.