Race & Identity

Patriotism may be the last refuge of scoundrels, but it is also often the rhetoric of first resort for racists and right-wingers. That's why it's so significant that a growing number of prominent liberal -- and nonwhite -- Britons are promoting national pride as a way to encourage social cohesion in this increasingly diverse nation.

The demand for such solidarity comes in reaction to recurring race riots, increased immigration, the devolution of Britain into semiautonomous parts and, of course,… more

Over the last few weeks, some local politicians have expressed fears that the racial violence in the Los Angeles County jail system could spread to the streets. County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke warned that if the violence escalates, it has the "potential to bring the whole community down."

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is so concerned that the rioting could go beyond the jails that he has offered to help Sheriff Lee Baca keep the peace. The mayor insisted that the… more

Sometimes, it's easier to see the full implications of some of our race-related social problems by looking at them not directly but with our peripheral vision. Sometimes … more

Selected reviews of An American Story are featured below:

Sunday, October 8, 2000 It is a startling thing to hear an American speak as frankly and un-self-servingly about race as Debra J. Dickerson does in "An American Story," her memoir of her first 35 years, in which she lurches from ghetto misfit and two-time dropout to Air Force trainee, Pentagon junior officer and Harvard Law School graduate. The book traces her journey across borders… more

If you happen to be an employer, a First Amendment absolutist or a trash-talking loser, life became a bit more difficult last week.

That's because the California Supreme Court forbade the future use of racial slurs in a workplace that has already been found by a court to be a hostile environment… more