Silent Covenants

Brown v. Board of Education and the Unfulfilled Hopes for Racial Reform

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Law, Constitutional, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, Civil Rights, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book Silent Covenants by Derrick Bell, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Derrick Bell ISBN: 9780190291556
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: April 19, 2004
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Derrick Bell
ISBN: 9780190291556
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: April 19, 2004
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book What is a Superhero? by Derrick Bell
Cover of the book Supporting Bereaved Students at School by Derrick Bell
Cover of the book Greening the Media by Derrick Bell
Cover of the book Admitting the Holocaust by Derrick Bell
Cover of the book Moral Responsibility: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Derrick Bell
Cover of the book Cogito? by Derrick Bell
Cover of the book Sentimental Rules: On the Natural Foundations of Moral Judgment by Derrick Bell
Cover of the book The Guardian of Every Other Right by Derrick Bell
Cover of the book Simple Heuristics in a Social World by Derrick Bell
Cover of the book Econophysics and Financial Economics by Derrick Bell
Cover of the book The Fiscalization of Social Policy by Derrick Bell
Cover of the book Let My People Go by Derrick Bell
Cover of the book World of Faith and Freedom by Derrick Bell
Cover of the book Science Outside the Laboratory by Derrick Bell
Cover of the book The Cloning Sourcebook by Derrick Bell
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy