Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America

Eugene Robinson talked about his book Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America. In his book he argues that, through decades of desegregation, affirmative action, and immigration, the concept of Black America as a single entity with unified interests and needs has shattered into four distinct groups: a “Mainstream” middle-class majority; a large “Abandoned” minority mired in poverty; a small “Transcendent” elite of wealth and power; and newly “Emergent” groups of mixed-race individuals and recent black immigrants who question what “black” even means. Using historical research, reporting, census data, and polling, he shows how these groups have become so distinct that they view each other with mistrust and apprehension. He discusses debates about affirmative action, the importance of race versus social class, and the questions of whether and in what form racism and the black community endure. Mr. Robinson responded to questions from members of the audience.

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