Describe Based On Books Silent Covenants: Brown v. Board of Education and the Unfulfilled Hopes for Racial Reform
Title | : | Silent Covenants: Brown v. Board of Education and the Unfulfilled Hopes for Racial Reform |
Author | : | Derrick A. Bell |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | First Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 230 pages |
Published | : | August 18th 2005 by Oxford University Press, USA (first published January 1st 2004) |
Categories | : | Education. Nonfiction. Race. History. Law. Cultural. African American |
Derrick A. Bell
Paperback | Pages: 230 pages Rating: 4.26 | 142 Users | 13 Reviews
Commentary As Books Silent Covenants: Brown v. Board of Education and the Unfulfilled Hopes for Racial Reform
When the landmark Supreme Court case of Brown vs. Board of Education was handed down in 1954, many civil rights advocates believed that the decision, which declared public school segregation unconstitutional, would become the Holy Grail of racial justice. Fifty years later, despite its legal irrelevance and the racially separate and educationally ineffective state of public schooling for most black children, Brown is still viewed by many as the perfect precedent.Here, Derrick Bell shatters the shining image of this celebrated ruling. He notes that, despite the onerous burdens of segregation, many black schools functioned well and racial bigotry had not rendered blacks a damaged race. He maintains that, given what we now know about the pervasive nature of racism, the Court should have determined instead to rigorously enforce the "equal" component of the "separate but equal" standard. Racial policy, Bell maintains, is made through silent covenants--unspoken convergences of interest and involuntary sacrifices of rights--that ensure that policies conform to priorities set by policy-makers. Blacks and whites are the fortuitous winners or losers in these unspoken agreements. The experience with Brown, Bell urges, should teach us that meaningful progress in the quest for racial justice requires more than the assertion of harms. Strategies must recognize and utilize the interest-convergence factors that strongly influence racial policy decisions.
In Silent Covenants, Bell condenses more than four decades of thought and action into a powerful and eye-opening book.
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Specify Books Concering Silent Covenants: Brown v. Board of Education and the Unfulfilled Hopes for Racial Reform
Original Title: | Silent Covenants: Brown v. Board of Education and the Unfulfilled Hopes for Racial Reform |
ISBN: | 0195182472 (ISBN13: 9780195182477) |
Edition Language: | English |
Rating Based On Books Silent Covenants: Brown v. Board of Education and the Unfulfilled Hopes for Racial Reform
Ratings: 4.26 From 142 Users | 13 ReviewsComment On Based On Books Silent Covenants: Brown v. Board of Education and the Unfulfilled Hopes for Racial Reform
Overall, very good, but a few definite "issues" at the same time, which I'll note at the end.That said, I largely agree with Bell, and with other authors who have also raised some of the same points."Equal" is about more than just physical integration, to the degree that was ever possible. It's also about equality in financial and other resources, and within integrated classrooms, equality of student treatment by teachers. None of that comes easily, and much of it hasn't come much further than"Rule 1. The interest of blacks in achieving racial equality will be accommodated only when that interest converges with the interests of whites in policy-making positions. This convergence is far more important for gaining relief than the degree of harm suffered by blacks or the character of proof offered to prove that harm.""Rule 2. Even when interest-convergence results in an effective racial remedy, that remedy will be abrogated at the point that policymakers fear the remedial policy is
I am a little biased in giving this book 5 stars because I am mentioned in the acknowledgements (shout out from my professor/employer Derrick Bell). My self interest aside, I'd still highly recommend this book because of its fascinating reflections on modern civil rights and post-Brown jurisprudence from a man who once worked as a prominent civil rights attorney along side Thurgood Marshall. His conclusions may surprise many but Prof Bell has always been on the edge (which is why I love him!).
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'Silent Covenants' begins with the all-too-acceptable scene of a graduation crowd applauding the decision Brown v. Board of Education as a, if not the, milestone in breaking down legitimized racial segregation.Unfortunately, as Bell articulately suggests, the decision may in fact be not only more symbolic than substantive but may also have rippling effects that have worsened, or at least obscured, the efforts of the civil rights activists who fought so hard for this 'victory.'A major argument
This book literally changed my life and way of thinking about the legacy of education litigation in America.
Dr. Bell analyzes the 1954 Brown decision and how that decision failed to solve the issue of an equal education for black children in this nation
Derrick Bell is one of those must read authors for me. He was a lawyer, scholar, and general expert at challenging all things we (read White liberals, but also people more broadly) think we know. He's considered in many ways to be one of the creators of Critical Race Theory, and he was one smart guy. Silent Covenants is one of those books I think should be required reading in schools across the country, particularly in education programs and teacher prep programs. Bell was a long-time critic of
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