The research examines an unobtrusive measure of racial attitudes based upon the evaluations that are automatically activated from memory upon the presentation of Black versus White faces. Study 1, which concerned the validity of the technique, obtained different estimates of racial attitudes for Black and White subjects and also revealed that the variability in automatically activated evaluations apparent among White subjects was meaningful in that the measure proved predictive of other race-related judgments and behavior. Study 2 concerned the lack of correspondence between the unobtrusive estimates of racial attitudes and scores on the Modern Racism Scale. The reactivity of the Modern Racism Scale was demonstrated in Study 3. Study 4 observed an interaction between the unobtrusive attitude estimates and an individual difference in motivation to control prejudiced reactions when predicting Modern Racism scores. The theoretical implications of the findings for consideration of automatic and controlled components of racial prejudice are discussed, as is the status of the Modern Racism Scale.