Racial Justice in the Age of Obama »

Roy L. Brooks is Warren Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of San Diego. His many books include "Atonement and Forgiveness: A New Model for Black Reparations and Integration or Separation?: A Strategy for Racial Equality".

"This book is powerful, thorough, and compelling. In Brooks's critique of liberals and conservatives, there are no sacred cows--he uses data and analysis to respond to what he views as shortsighted and ill-conceived ideas about a post-racial America. This book, like Obama's election, is an eye-opener. It will encourage and require debate and difficult discussions on the issue of race in the twenty-first century, and is a powerful indictment of our continuing problems of racial disparity. I recommend it to anyone serious about understanding both the depths of our problems and commitment to solving them. It is a must-read."--Charles J. Ogletree, Jr., executive director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice

"Roy Brooks provides savvy and succinct analyses of contending civil rights theories in the Obama era. Comparing understandings of and solutions for U.S. structures of racism, Brooks fairly but provocatively dissects traditionalism, reformism, separatism, and critical race theory, to offer the best evaluative summary yet of contemporary civil rights thinking."--Joe R. Feagin, author of Systemic Racism: A Theory of Oppression

"Brooks captures all the nuances of the causes and effects of racial disparities in the United States. The book is neither too broad nor too narrow, and strikes a sensible, coherent balance that fills a void in race-related texts. Examining issues of diversity, it adds another exciting dimension to the discussion about the world that we live in and what we aspire to as a nation."--Robin Barnes, University of Connecticut School of Law

"This excellent book will command the attention of a significant legal audience as well as other intellectuals interested in the race question. Well-researched and well-written, it will revise how the debate on race is addressed."--Alex Johnson, University of Virginia School of Law

Choice

Brooks's informative work elaborates, compares, contrasts, and critiques the four major contemporary civil rights theories—'traditionalism,' 'reformism,' 'limited separation,' and 'critical race theory'—with attention to diversity within each perspective. . . . [B]rooks provides readers with a valuable road map to navigate a very complex theoretical terrain.

Preface: The Age of Obama ix Acknowledgments xxi CHAPTER 1: Introduction 1
CHAPTER 2: Traditionalism 14
CHAPTER 3: Reformism 35
CHAPTER 4: Limited Separation 63
CHAPTER 5: Critical Race Theory 89
EPILOGUE: Toward the "Best" Post-Civil Rights Theory 109
APPENDIX 125
Notes 183
Bibliography 211
Index 225