Civil Rights and Social Wrongs

The persistence of racial inequality in a democratic society may be the gravest problem confronting the United States. It has surely been the most intractable. Yet the torrent of scholarship and comment unleashed in recent years by the question of race provides a general reader with little overall understanding of the solutions attempted and the resulting outcomes. These essays by ten leading scholars offer the most compact comprehensive appraisal we have of how the modern civil rights movement arose, what changes it brought about in relationships between blacks and whites, and how it led to affirmative action, to multiculturalism, and eventually to the present stalemate and discontent.Contributors are Christopher Beem, John Higham, Lawrence Bobo, Erwin Chemerinsky, Gerald Early, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Lawrence H. Fuchs, Nathan Glazer, Douglas S. Massey, and Diane Ravitch."This important book had its origin in a symposium convened by The Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies in 1994 to address the question: 'How can the basic spirit of the civil rights movement be revitalized and redefined?' Edited by John Higham, this collection of ten essays by scholars from various disciplines constitutes a thoughtful and nonpolemical treatment of topics that too often are discussed in ways that generate more heat than light. The extraordinarily perceptive introduction and conclusion by Higham, coupled with the provocative contributions of the essayists, provide a remarkably comprehensive and concise assessment of the complex path traveled by the civil rights movement since 1954. . . . No other work succeeds so admirably or so succinctly in explaining why, at the end of the twentieth century, race relations in the United States exhibit such deeply contradictory trends. . . . This work should reach a wide audience. For those involved in education at all levels, especially in establishing policies and curricula, this book is essential reading."--Willard B. Gatewood, Journal of Southern History "John Higham and his colleagues deserve great praise for addressing problems of race and ethnicity in a manner that is frequently fresh and always constructive. We are indebted to them for sharing their views with a larger public."--John Hope Franklin"Through the insights of many of the country's leading scholars of race relations, this book takes an honest look at the state of American race relations. The authors' essays help the reader gain a deeper understanding of how we came to the current situation and how we can improve relations among the races in the future."--Former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley"This collection provides good verbal handles to discuss and understand the major questions Americans face as they explore living in a pluralistic and international society. This book is recommended for readers at all levels as an informative, provocative, and somewhat reassuring study."--Choice