{"product_id":"silent-covenants-brown-v-board-of-education-and-the-unfulfilled-hopes-for-racial-reform-9780195182477","title":"Silent Covenants: Brown V. Board of Education and the Unfulfilled Hopes for Racial Reform","description":"When the landmark Supreme Court case of \u003cem\u003eBrown vs. Board of Education\u003c\/em\u003e 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, \u003cem\u003eBrown\u003c\/em\u003e is still viewed by many as the perfect precedent. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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 \u003cem\u003eBrown\u003c\/em\u003e, 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eSilent Covenants\u003c\/em\u003e, Bell condenses more than four decades of thought and action into a powerful and eye-opening book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDerrick Bell\u003c\/strong\u003e is Visiting Professor of Law at New York University Law School. As an NAACP Legal Defense Fund lawyer, he handled and supervised hundreds of school desegregation cases during the 1960s. He is the author of several books, including \u003cem\u003eAnd We Are Not Saved\u003c\/em\u003e. He lives in New York City.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50717686268178,"sku":"9780195182477","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_51e7bb81-7238-40ca-9086-3cbdbcf0bd5b.jpg?v=1734623867","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/silent-covenants-brown-v-board-of-education-and-the-unfulfilled-hopes-for-racial-reform-9780195182477","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}