Around 1990 (plus or minus 2-5 years) one of the televison news
journal programs (perhps ABC's 20/20, or some very similar program)
did a story on racism in America.  They hired two male actors, one
Black and the other White, and, fictitionally,  gave them very similar
educational backgrounds and resumes.  They then sent these 2 out in
search of :jobs, apartment hunting, department store shopping, car
purchases, etc.  They had a hidden camera and chronicled how
differently these 2 seemingly similar people were treated by all the
(same) people they intereacted with.  The results were jaw-dropping.
The news program sold copies of this program to be used for
sensitivity and educational training. I need 2 answers on this one-
what was the exact program, and most importantly, where can I
obtin/purchase a copy of it?  Thank you.

The program you're looking for is "True Colors." It originally aired
on ABC's "PrimeTime Live" in 1991.

Here's a description of the program:

"This was dramatically shown in the recent ABC Prime Time Live
television piece, 'True Colors'. In the piece, two men, one black and
one white, who are virtually the same on paper, are sent to St. Louis
to see what their experiences will be when they try to start life
there. They look for a place to live, look for jobs, shop at a car
dealer, shoe store, jewelry store and music store. Each has a hidden
camera that records their experiences."

University of Georgia: Valuing Diversity
http://www.terry.uga.edu/~dawndba/4500PCHype.htm 

"True Colors" investigates situations in which blacks and whites
continue to be treated differently.  PrimeTime Live anchor Diane
Sawyer enlisted the services of two professional discrimination
testers trained in presenting themselves exactly the same way.  Both
young men consider themselves virtually the same in every way but the
one you can see.  Wired with hidden microphones and monitored with a
hidden camera, both men move to St. Louis, Missouri to start new
lives.  Day in and day out, the story is the same: at a shopping
center, a car dealership and a record store, the white tester gets
preferential treatment.  He gets kinder treatment when applying for
work or housing.  The personal impact of the investigation on the
testers themselves is profound."

South Indiana United Methodist Churches
http://www.sicumc.org/media/catalogtr-tt.asp

The program is available to rent or to buy from these sources:

Employee University
http://www.employeeuniversity.com/employmentlaw/catalog/abc_news__true_colors_2943996.htm

The Richardson Company Training Media
http://www.rctm.com/app/Product/71470.html

CorVISION Media
http://www.corvision.com/discr.htm#TRUECOLORS

My Google search strategy:

Google Web Search: "abc news" + "true colors" + "vhs"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22abc+news%22+%22true+colors%22+vhs

I hope this will enable you to get a copy of the program. If anything
is unclear, or if a link doesn't function, please request
clarification; I'll gladly offer further assistance before you rate my
answer.

Best regards,
pinkfreud

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Request for Answer Clarification by crutchfield-ga on 29 Mar 2004 00:18 PST

I ordered from employee university and will get it in 2 days.
thanks
charles

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Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 29 Mar 2004 11:26 PST

Many thanks for the kind words and the five stars!

~Pink

Simply outstanding.  Tremendous help. Superfast.