same for this put in Chicago and a annotated bibliography.We uncover differential responses to equal and unequal contact based on group power status. We first document a positive correlation between equal contact, proxied by being a Vietnam War veteran, and the likelihood of marrying across racial lines but only for Black veterans. We then isolate the causal effects of contact by leveraging two natural experiments in WWII: (1) the as-good-as-random assignment to a racially segregated vs. integrated recreational facilities (equal contact), and; (2) to military units that either had an ingroup or outgroup lieutenant (unequal contact), on attitudes toward racial integration policies, finding that equal-status contact builds social cohesion (again, driven by effects among Black troops) while hierarchical contact dismantles it. Finally, we provide qualitative evidence on the mechanisms through which contact might shape social cohesion by digitizing thousands of veteran testimonials. This analysis underscores the asymmetry of experiences with race: Black veterans are orders of magnitude more likely to discuss race, segregation, and discrimination than White veterans, for whom racial equality is perceived negatively. The results suggest that unequal contact triggers backlash among minorities but equal contact may have the same negative effects on majorities. The results speak to importance of grappling with inequalities inherent to the contact experience to build durable social