Racial Realism and the History of Black People in America

Lori Latrice Martin

• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Year: 2022
• eBook ISBN: 9781978756458
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: African American Studies
• Index: Social Sciences

In Racial Realism and the History of Black People in America, Lori Latrice Martin demonstrates how racial realism is a key concept for understanding why and how black people continue to live between a cycle of optimism and disappointment in the United States. Central to her argument is Derrick Bell's work on racial realism, who argued that the subordination of black people in America is permanent. Racial Realism includes historical topics, such as Reconstruction, race in the 20th century, and recent events like #BlackLivesMatter, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the killing of George Floyd. As the author lays out, at various times in American history, black people felt a sense of hopefulness and optimism that America would finally extend treasured American values to them only to find themselves marginalized. History shows that black people have had their expectations raised so many times only to find themselves deeply disappointed.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• The Genius of Derrick Bell
• Forty Acres and a Mule and Other Missed Opportunities
• The Myth of the Greatest Generation
• (Un)Civil Rights and Black Power
• Promises Unfulfilled
• Conclusion
• References
• Index
• About the Author