BIGOTRY TOUCHES JUST about every aspect of life. It affects how successful a person is at work and where he or she buys the clothes to wear to work. It can determine what neighborhood a person lives in and how neighborly a welcome the family next door extends. From large roadblocks to more trivial annoyances, bigotry is a recurring feature on the American landscape.

Even the more superficial effects of bigotry are significant in their own way. They usually point to a deeper problem of prejudice. "My son Cedric and I were at a department store looking at watches," a Dallas woman told writer Roger Campbell.

He wanted a good one for his corporate sales job. When my son asked to see a watch, [the salesperson] asked if we were aware of how much it cost. . . .

Iguess she thought we were wasting...