Public Defenders and the Minority Population

Some commentators have raised questions about the quality of legal representation provided to the poor. They also have suggested that racial minorities, who are more likely than whites to be poor, are particularly disadvantaged. Is this necessarily the case? Are racial minorities represented by public defenders or assigned counsel treated more harshly than those represented by private attorneys? If you were an African-American, Hispanic, or Native American defendant and could choose whether to be represented by a public defender or a private attorney, which would you choose? Why?