Blackballed
The Black and White Politics of Race on America's Campuses
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
"College" is a word that means many things to many people: a space for knowledge, a place to gain lifelong friends, and an opportunity to transcend one's socioeconomic station. Today, though, this word also recalls a slew of headlines that have revealed a dark and persistent world of racial politics on campus. Does this association disturb our idealized visions of what happens behind the ivied walls of higher learning? It should-because campus racism on college campuses is as American as college football on Fall Saturdays.
From Lawrence Ross, author of The Divine Nine and the leading expert on sororities and fraternities, Blackballed is an explosive and controversial book that rips the veil off America's hidden secret: America's colleges have fostered a racist environment that makes them a hostile space for African American students. Blackballed exposes the white fraternity and sorority system, with traditions of racist parties, songs, and assaults on black students; and the universities themselves, who name campus buildings after racist men and women. It also takes a deep dive into anti-affirmative action policies, and how they effectively segregate predominately white universities, providing ample room for white privilege. A bold mix of history and the current climate, Blackballed is a call to action for universities to make radical changes to their policies and standards to foster a better legacy for all students.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ross (The Divine Nine) scrutinizes "some of the most racially hostile places in the United States" the fraternities and sororities on American colleges and universities via extended conversations with black former students of predominantly white institutions. He revisits some well-known incidents, such as the racist song performed by Sigma Alpha Epsilon of the University of Oklahoma in 2015, and discusses the types of racism black students encounter on college campuses, ranging from violent or overt acts to more common micro-aggressions (everyday indignities, whether intentional or not, that are often written off as inconsequential by other students). The special value of Ross's book is that it documents incidents in recent history and the experiences of the students involved to show the severity of racism on college campuses and its persistence. As Ross points out, even when there are probations and suspensions, old patterns quickly return; he questions whether "going to a predominantly white institution is really worth it for African-Americans."