Shall We Overcome? Post-Racialism and Inclusion in the 21st Century

The subject of post-racialism has been rather topical since Barack Obama was elected President. I greatly appreciate this opportunity to reflect on the extent to which Americans have, or have not, transcended race. The topic interests me tremendously because for many years I have been an advocate for race and class integration, which I addressed at length in my book The Failures of Integration. In The Failures, my main argument for pursuing meaningful integration is that a nation premised on race and class separation renders the American Dream of residential choice leading to upward mobility impossibly expensive and out of reach for many people. Everyone is harmed in a nation of separate, racialized mobility tracks. Unfortunately, several current federal policies encourage rather than discourage racial segregation