ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 14, 1996 TAG: 9607150015
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: JAN CIENSKI ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce report that is sent to people planning to move to the Richmond area contains something that few other cities include - statistics on race.
The report, ``Focus on Our Region,'' is part of a package packed with information about Richmond real estate, a city map and attractions in the historic city that was once the capital of the Confederacy.
The Facts and Figures section of the chamber of commerce report breaks down the population of the city and its surrounding communities by race: white, black and other.
The figures, taken from the 1990 U.S. Census Report, show that the city of Richmond is predominantly black and the surrounding counties are mainly white.
An Associated Press survey of Virginia's four largest municipal areas and seven other Southern cities found that none provide comparable information by race and region unless callers request it.
The local chamber includes the figures because many people had asked for them, said Cindy Ward, senior vice president of marketing for the Richmond chamber. She could not, however, provide a figure for how many requests the organization had received for the race data.
``We are proud of the ethnic diversity of our area and don't see any reason not to publicize it,'' she said. ``These statistics are not available just from the chamber. If someone wants to get that information, we can't stop them from getting it.''
Most chambers of commerce will supply the information if a person or a business asks for it. People interested in the numbers can also get them from many other sources, including public libraries.
``It's one of the demographic factoids that people find interesting,'' said Cheryl Trott, the chamber's senior manager of research.
Civil rights leaders voiced concern that the statistics were being distributed without being solicited.
``I think one could very well use racial demographics to either encourage or discourage people from moving to a particular locale,'' said Linda Byrd-Harden, executive secretary of the state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Jim Dunn, president of the Richmond chamber, said the policy of including demographic data in all newcomer packages was more efficient than sending out separate pamphlets.
``We don't want to do a dozen different pieces of information,'' he said. ``We try to give a fair representation of the community.''
While saying he did not think the information contained in the report is overly significant, University of Virginia urban planning Professor David Phillips said that some people could look at race when choosing where to buy a home.
``It's the kind of information that is ... part of the equation when people look for a place to live,'' he said.
Roanoke, Fairfax and the Hampton Roads area do not provide race statistics unless requested.
``No one has ever asked us that question,'' said Claire Luke, executive vice president of the Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce.
Other Southern chambers that do not give out racial statistics in newcomer packages are: Atlanta; Memphis, Tenn.; Nashville, Tenn.; Columbia, S.C.; Little Rock, Ark.; Birmingham, Ala.; and Jackson, Miss.
``I have never had anyone ask me for the racial breakdown of neighborhoods, and I've been here for four years,'' said Steve Ross, media relations director for the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. ``We've just never done it.''
LENGTH: Medium: 70 linesby CNB