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 finding public school segregation unconstitutional could 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. Derrick Bell here shatters this shining image of one of the Court's most celebrated rulings. He notes that, despite the onerous burdens of segregation, many black schools functioned well and racial bigotry had not rendered blacks a damaged race. Brown's recognition of racial injustice, without more, left racial barriers intact. Given what we now know about the pervasive nature of racism, the Court should have determined--for the first time--to rigorously enforce the "equal" component of the "separate but equal" standard. By striking it down, the Court intended both to improve the Nation's international image during the Cold War and offer blacks recognition that segregation was wrong. Instead, the Brown decision actually enraged and energized its opponents. It stirred confusion and conflict into the always vexing question of race in a society that, despite denials and a frustratingly flexible amnesia, owes much of its growth, development, and success, to the ability of those who dominate the society to use race to both control and exploit most people, black and white. 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.

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

History

Bell, Derrick

Americas

Oxford University Press

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.

From the pioneering legal scholar and bestselling author of Faces at the Bottom of the Well, a compelling investigation of racial justice in America In And We Are Not Saved, civil rights activist and legal scholar Derrick Bell employs a series of dramatic fables and dialogues to probe the foundations of America's racial attitudes and raise disturbing questions about the nature of our society. How have we failed to achieve racial equality, Bell asks--and why? What does this failure mean--for black people and for whites? Where do we go from here? Should we redirect the quest for racial justice? Guided by these questions, Bell aims to provoke discussion that will provide new insights and prompt more effective strategies for pursuing racial justice.

And We Are Not Saved: The Elusive Quest for Racial Justice

Basic Books

Through parables and essays, Derrick Bell offers an eloquent work of social commentary on the permanence of racism.Gospel,” says Derrick Bell, and particularly the gospel choir at its best, echoes the tempos of the soul searching for God's peace in the midst of a hostile world.”Just like the songs of a gospel choir, the pieces in this book give voice to the hardships faced by African Americans. Through allegorical stories and fictional encounters, dreams, and dialogues, it presents fresh perspectives on the different issues that concern Blacks, such as the message of The Bell Curve, the Contract with America, the media's handling of Black men, and corporate greed's responsibility for today's rising White rage” and subsequent Black blame.” Despite their tough subjects, however, these stories resound with laughter and compassion and a continuing theme of Christian love. Ultimately, like the gospel songs, they offer African Americans hope and direction as they travel the racist world they inhabit.

Gospel Choirs: Psalms Of Survival In An Alien Land Called Home

Literature & Fiction

United States

The classic work on American racism and the struggle for racial justice In Faces at the Bottom of the Well, civil rights activist and legal scholar Derrick Bell uses allegory and historical example to argue that racism is an integral and permanent part of American society. African American struggles for equality are doomed to fail so long as the majority of whites do not see their own well-being threatened by the status quo. Bell calls on African Americans to face up to this unhappy truth and abandon a misplaced faith in inevitable progress. Only then will blacks, and those whites who join with them, be in a position to create viable strategies to alleviate the burdens of racism. "Freed of the stifling rigidity of relying unthinkingly on the slogan 'we shall overcome,'" he writes, "we are impelled both to live each day more fully and to examine critically the actual effectiveness of traditional civil rights remedies."

Faces At The Bottom Of The Well: The Permanence Of Racism

Africa

The noted civil rights activist uses allegory and historical example to present a radical vision of the persistence of racism in America. These essays shed light on some of the most perplexing and vexing issues of our day: affirmative action, the disparity between civil rights law and reality, the racist outbursts” of some black leaders, the temptation toward violent retaliation, and much more.

The Sixth Edition of this innovative text written by Derrick Bell continues to provide students with insight into the issues surrounding race in America and an understanding of how the law interprets those issues as well as the factors that directly and indirectly influence the law. The first casebook published specifically for teaching race related law courses, Race, Racism, and American Law is engaging, offering hard-hitting enlightenment, and is an unparalleled teaching tool. Among the features that have made this text a success with both students and instructors through five editions over 35 years: <ul>
<li> Clear and readable text along with a participatory approach that encourages discussion of unresolved and perhaps unresolvable racial issues. </li> <li> Interdisciplinary excerpts from historical, sociological, and psychological publications that provide comprehensive coverage of all aspects of the subject and in this edition pose the question of the law’s limitations in remedying current racial barriers. </li> <li> Creative hypothetical exercises for possible briefing and argument to the class by student advocates. The presentations promote a learning by teaching experience that enables students to realize the complex nature and consequences of racism in the United States </li> <li> Commentary on the Supreme Court's conception of a "color-blind" society and its adverse effects on school desegregation, voting, employment, and affirmative action </li> <li> Alternatives to integration in achieving the goal of equal educational opportunity. </li> <li> The absence or inadequacy of remedies for racial barriers facing Latino, Asian and Native American citizens. </li> <li> Discussion of Professor Lani Guinier's advocacy of proportional representation over majority-minority districts. </li> <li> The uses of nooses as racial intimidation symbols replacing flaming crosses. </li> <li> Racial priorities in Hurricane Katrina’s rescue and recovery policies. </li> <li> The legal ramifications of the disproportionately high percentage of blacks and Hispanics in American prisons </li> <li> Legal and social barriers to blacks and Latinos seeking to challenge employment discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended. </li> <li> The growing acceptance and continued hostility to interracial sex and marriage. </li> <li> The vulnerability of black and Latino buyers to consumer schemes and sub-prime mortgages. </li> <li> The limited value of racial protests during a time of war and national crisis. </li> </ul>
 Fully updated, the Sixth Edition includes: <ul>
<li> Increased citation to and discussion of law review articles that offer new and perhaps controversial perspectives, which Professor Bell utilizes to provide divergent views and thus better provoke class discussion and independent student thought </li> <li> Summaries of new Supreme Court cases </li> <li> A new hypothetical problem that deals with using non-racial criteria to create school diversity </li> <li> New sections on the adverse impact of immigration on black employment and the impact of unemployment on prison rates </li> </ul>
 Race, Racism, and American Law, Sixth Edition, compiled and published initially in 1973 by Derrick Bell, in this latest addition continues its position as an essential tool to any course addressing the reasons why race remains a key to America’s economic, political and social functioning. If you aren’t already using this text, request an examination copy today.

Race, Racism and American Law (Aspen Casebook)

Legal Education

Aspen Publishers

Ethical Ambition

Who will YOU have to become to succeed? Most of us believe that we must compromise our integrity to get ahead in life. With material success now our overarching social goal, the pressure to succeed is stronger than it's ever been. But what does this mean for our convictions, our morals, our ideals? In his book, Derrick Bell demonstrates that it is possible to attain success and not compromise our values by practising what he describes as Ethical Ambition. Setting out seven rules with which to conduct our lives, he places ethics as central to our ambition, so we can simultaneously honour our values and our needs. "Ethical Ambition" will force you to re-examine your beliefs and motivate you to change your life. It is an important book for our times.

Business & Money

BLOOMSBURY

Recounting a protest at Harvard that cost him his tenured position, the author tells moving stories of others who have challenged authority, questions the system, and examines the value of protest in protecting one's sense of self-worth. 25,000 first printing. Tour.

Confronting Authority: Reflections of an Ardent Protester

Beacon Pr

Describing a protest at Harvard that cost him his tenured position, the author tells stories about others who have challenged authority and examines the value of protest in protecting one's sense of self-worth. Reprint.

Politics & Social Sciences

Sociology

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bell, Derrick. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Bell, Derrick

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bell, Derrick. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

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

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

And We Are Not Saved: The Elusive Quest for Racial Justice

Gospel Choirs: Psalms Of Survival In An Alien Land Called Home

Faces At The Bottom Of The Well: The Permanence Of Racism

Faces At The Bottom Of The Well: The Permanence Of Racism

Race, Racism and American Law (Aspen Casebook)

Ethical Ambition

Confronting Authority: Reflections of an Ardent Protester

Confronting Authority: Reflections of an Ardent Protester