Cedric Herring and Loren Henderson (Maryland): Wealth Inequality in Black and White: Cultural and Structural Sources of the Racial Wealth Gap. Jared Bernstein on what racial injustice looks like in America’s economy. Affluent and black, and still trapped by segregation: Why well-off black families end up living in poorer areas than white families with similar or even lower incomes. Esther Canty-Barnes on how racial inequality starts early — in preschool. Sigal Alon on how diversity destroyed affirmative action: Once race-conscious admissions stopped being about equity and reparation, the only argument for it was the enrichment of white students — that was never going to hold up. The disturbing racial bias in who we help when they need it most. Sharp differences over who is hurt, helped by their race.
Nicholas Stephanopoulos (Chicago): Race, Place, and Power. From Vox, Lee Drutman on how race and identity became the central dividing line in American politics. Donald Trump has blown up Republicans’ racism defense: He’s as much a product of regular conservatism as he is of the alt-Right. The 1965 law that gave the Republican Party its race problem: LBJ didn’t think the Immigration and Nationality Act would be revolutionary — he was wrong. Black Studies Matter: Kristina Rizga on how one of the nation’s biggest — and most violent — campus protests brought diversity to the rest of America. What does Black Lives Matter want? Now its demands are clearer than ever (and more). Americans are as skeptical of Black Lives Matter as they were of the civil rights movement: America has a long history of resisting black-led social justice movements. Brandon M. Terry on racial politics after Obama.
Felicia Wong and Dorian T. Warren on two terrible ideas, on their way to history’s dustbin — and once they’re gone, we’ll finally be ready to progress on race relations in America. Greg Howard on the easiest way to get rid of racism: Just redefine it.
