For Discrimination
Race, Affirmative Action, and the Law
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Description de l’éditeur
The definitive reckoning with Affirmative Action, one of America’s most explosively contentious and divisive issues—from “one of our most important and perceptive writers on race and the law.”—The Washington Post
“A clear-eyed take on America’s battle over affirmative action and diversity.... [Kennedy] goes straight at the issue with fearlessness and a certain cheekiness.” —Los Angeles Times
“Compelling.... Powerful.” —Wall Street Journal
What precisely is affirmative action, and why is it fiercely championed by some and just as fiercely denounced by others? Does it signify a boon or a stigma? Or is it simply reverse discrimination? What are its benefits and costs to American society? What are the exact indicia determining who should or should not be accorded affirmative action? When should affirmative action end, if it must?
Randall Kennedy gives us a concise and deeply personal overview of the policy, refusing to shy away from the myriad complexities of an issue that continues to bedevil American race relations.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
As the titles of this and his previous books (among them, The Persistence of the Color Line: Racial Politics and the Obama Presidency) suggest, Harvard law professor Kennedy knows where the nerve endings are in discussing the complexities of race in America. While clearly convinced that "the net benefits generated by affirmative action justify its continued existence," his probe of those ganglia is dexterous. "The stark patterns of racial disparity... attend every index of well-being and development in American society," Kennedy writes, "including educational attainment" (his focus in this book is on higher education). After reviewing the history of affirmative action, concluding that "ambivalence triumphant" best describes its current status, Kennedy assesses the arguments, pro (reparations, integration) and con (the associated stigma). Following a consideration of the "apparent attractions of color blindness" and its weaknesses, Kennedy turns to the Supreme Court's record one he finds "marked by ambivalence, confusion, evasiveness, obfuscation, and inconsistency" in cases involving the state universities of California, Michigan, and Texas. Kennedy's admirably balanced argument in favor of affirmative action (though the author has some reservations) is provocative and his style is accessible. When the Supreme Court decision on Fisher v. University of Texas is handed down, Kennedy's latest will be required reading.
