Why America is not a post-racial society

Spike Lee recently discussed the concept of a post-racial America with CNN's Don Lemon.

Lee's view that racism did not disappear after Barack Obama was elected president is shared by three IU Press authors in their new books. In Nation of Cowards, authors David H. Ikard and Martell Lee Teasley show the paradox of Barack Obama’s historic rise to the US presidency and the ever-increasing social and economic instability of African American communities. They argue that Americans are no where near having a post-racial society, and that we as a country need to talk more about racism. You can hear more about the authors' ideas for starting productive conversations on race in this IU Press podcast.

Renowned social justice advocate john a. powell also agrees that we have not achieved a post-racial society. In his new book Racing to Justice, powell persuasively argues that there is much work to do to redeem the American promise of inclusive democracy. Culled from a decade of writing about social justice and spirituality, these meditations on race, identity, and social policy provide an outline for laying claim to our shared humanity and a way toward healing ourselves and securing our future. Watch him discuss race in this video: