Wittenberg University will be hosting a live virtual presentation featuring Dr. Richard Rothstein, the author of The Color of the Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, on Sept. 23, beginning at 7 p.m.
A Distinguished Fellow of the Economic Policy Institute, the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and of the Haas Institute at the University of California (Berkeley), Rothstein is the author of many other articles and books on race and education, which can be found at his web page at the Economic Policy Institute. Previous influential books include Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic and Educational Improvement to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap, and Grading Education: Getting Accountability Right. He welcomes questions and comments after the presentation.
In his remarks, Rothstein will discuss his book and how racial segregation characterizes every metropolitan area in the United States and bears responsibility for our most serious social and economic problems. He will discuss how racial segregation corrupts our criminal justice system, exacerbates economic inequality, and produces large academic gaps between white and African American school children.
The Color of Law demonstrates how residential segregation was created by racially explicit and unconstitutional government policy in the mid-twentieth century that openly subsidized whites-only suburbanization in which African Americans were prohibited from participating.
“Wittenberg is honored to be hosting Dr. Rothstein’s presentation and invites the community to participate. His work identifying systemic housing discrimination by federal, state, and local governments and its impact on communities of color provides the tools we need to rectify these constitutional injustices. It also provides the context needed to make concrete, positive change in our community and our state,” said Director of Faculty Development and Professor of English Cynthia Richards.
There will also be an opportunity to participate in two discussions of the book in collaboration with the Clark County Public and Dayton Metro Library on Sept. 15 at noon and again at 7 p.m. Both discussions will occur online, and participants will be sent a Zoom invitation. Professor of History Scott Rosenberg will be leading the noon discussion, while Richards and Professor of Philosophy Julius Bailey will be co-leading the 7 p.m. discussion.
For more information, to request a copy of his book, or to participate in the discussions, email Richards at crichards@wittenberg.edu. Register for the discussions here and/or register for the virtual presentation here.
