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The problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line. Du Bois's prophetic statement, made at the beginning of the century, is as true today at the dawn of the 21st century. Presenting fresh, contemporary perspectives on a centuries-old problem, the contributors to this volume, including top scholars in sociology and political science, show that race-politics remains a part of the new millennium despite past efforts to erase discriminatory practices. From an initial reconsideration of the DuBois-Washington debate to Derrick Bell's essay on the pitfalls of doing good, the book illustrates that the debate about race remains a firm part of our social fabric, begging for a solution to change old and new feelings about race in the United States.
Grappling with enduring issues of race and identifying new racial realities, the volume examines the white backlash to affirmative action, the organizational structure of affirmative action, the impact of social networks on occupational mobility, upward mobility and minority neighborhoods, and inner-city entrepreneurship. America's changing configuration to a multi-ethnic, multi-racial population is considered in a chapter speculating on the impact for African Americans. In conclusion, the book suggests ways to take positive action.
List of contents
Introduction: The New Politics of Race by Aldon Morris
The Du Bois-Washington Debate in the 21st Century: Multiculturalism and the African American Community by Donald Cunnigen
The White Backlash Against Afirmative Action: The Case of the California Civil Rights Initiative (Proposition 209) by James E. Jacob and Miriam Monges
Organizational Response to Affirmative Action: Substance or Symbolism by Sharon M. Collins
Social Networks and Occupational Mobility by Marlese Durr
Does Upward Mobility Mean Living in a Better Neighborhood? The Experience of Minorities and Immigrants in the New York Metropolis by John R. Logan and Richard D. Alba
Inner-City Entrepreneurship: Is Self-Employment a Cure for Poverty? by Cedric Herring, Hayward D. Horton, and Melvin E. Thomas
The Tattered Web of Kinship: Social Support in a Puerto Rican Community by Anne R. Roschelle
The American Population in The Year 2000 by Nancy A. Denton
Old Wine in New Bottles: The Reality of Modern Racism by Joe R. Feagin and Hernan M. Vera
The Difficulty of Doing Good: Civil Rights Activism as a Metaphor by Derrick A. Bell
Moving form Observation to Action: Addressing the New Politics of Race by Thomas S. Lyons and Gregg A. Lichtenstein
Index
About the author
MARLESE DURR is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Wright State University.
