WHITEWASHING RACE; The Myth of a Color-Blind Society

White Americans, abetted by neo-conservative writers of all hues, generally believe that racial discrimination is a thing of the past and that any racial inequalities that undeniably persist―in wages, family income, access to housing or health care―can be attributed to African Americans' cultural and individual failures. If the experience of most black Americans says otherwise, an explanation has been sorely lacking―or obscured by the passions the issue provokes. At long last offering a cool, clear, and informed perspective on the subject, this book brings together a team of highly respected sociologists, political scientists, economists, criminologists, and legal scholars to scrutinize the logic and evidence behind the widely held belief in a color-blind society―and to provide an alternative explanation for continued racial inequality in the United States.

While not denying the economic advances of black Americans since the 1960s, Whitewashing Race draws on new and compelling research to demonstrate the persistence of racism and the effects of organized racial advantage across many institutions in American society―including the labor market, the welfare state, the criminal justice system, and schools and universities. Looking beyond the stalled debate over current antidiscrimination policies, the authors also put forth a fresh vision for achieving genuine racial equality of opportunity in a post-affirmative action world.

Michael K. Brown and David Wellman are members of the faculty of the University of California, Santa Cruz. Elliott Currie, Troy Duster, and Marjorie M. Shultz are on the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley; Currie is also Visiting Professor at the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University and Duster is also Professor of Sociology at New York University. Martin Carnoy is Professor of Education and Economics at Stanford University. David B. Oppenheimer is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law at Golden Gate University.