Springfield, Ohio – First a silver and now a gold.
Wittenberg University Associate Professor of Philosophy Julius Bailey has received much attention and many accolades for his most recent book Racial Realities and Post-Racial Dreams: The Age of Obama and Beyond, released late last year by Broadview Press.
Bailey, who teaches in Wittenberg’s Department of Philosophy, is a Christian existentialist, philosopher, cultural critic, social theorist and diversity lecturer. He was recently presented with a Silver Award in current events in social issues/ humanitarian from the Independent Book Publishers and a Gold Award in Government and Politics from the Readers' Favorite Reviews.
Racial Realities and Post-Racial Dreams: The Age of Obama and Beyond provides critical exploration of wealth and poverty, mass incarceration, voting rights, gender discrimination, Islamophobia and immigration, and more and marks the fourth book authored by Bailey.
Cornel West, an American philosopher, academic and activist, hails the work as a “courageous and powerful text, indispensable for any serious reflection about the future and the world.”
Joel R. Dennstedt, reviewer for Readers' Favorite, says that Bailey’s book “is a gorgeously written, exceedingly intelligent, impeccably nuanced polemic against the current state of race relations in America. Dr. Bailey includes a bibliographical reference list by chapter that securely establishes his hard-won collection of incontrovertible facts and figures from which he makes his passionate but objective claims, and tentatively prescribes a better future for us all.”
Bailey, who has been influenced by recent events to write again, says that the “cerebrally aggressive students of Wittenberg constantly challenge and motivate me to write.”
“The origins of this book came from both a student and an occurrence, concurrently,” Bailey said. “Student Jake Murray, a double major in philosophy and political science, sat in my office around April of 2014 upset about America’s Islamophobia, asking my thoughts and how [that prejudice against Muslims] may affect general immigration challenges. Then Eric Garner died in police custody on a New York street in July [of 2014]. I was immediately purposed to write my thoughts about my complicated love with America. The reward is in the interaction.”
The book website is www.racialrealitiesbook.com.
“With the reviews I have had so far, I am more than excited about the potential of its reach and the viability of meaningful conversation, especially in Ohio, about race, class and culture,” said Bailey, who has been touring and giving lectures for the past few months.
Bailey has been interviewed on CNN, Fox, B.E.T, and ABC Nightline. A guest on numerous radio shows as a social critic and education advisor, he is often sought out to speak at colleges, prisons and community organizations across America. He holds master’s degrees from Howard and Harvard Universities and obtained his P.h.D from the University of Illinois.
“Wittenberg has allowed me, since my arrival in 2011, to create events, discussions and classes that diversify and broaden the hearts and minds of our students,” he said. “This project is in-kind with the kind of Christian, liberal arts education that Wittenberg gifts to ourselves and the world.”
Bailey’s other books released since joining Wittenberg include The Cultural Impact of Kanye West (Palgrave, 2014) and Philosophy and Hip Hop (Palgrave, 2014).
Bailey is the also the founder of Project Eight, a youth service organization that focuses on leadership and civic participation. He has also won numerous awards for his community commitment and engagement.
-Office of University Communications
