Black public intellectuals have unprecedented access to the media, but many no longer have daily contact with African-American communities. A few (mostly men) have become academic and media superstars, which helps sustain the illusion that American society is “color blind.”
References
1.
BrownMichael K.CarnoyMartinCurrieElliottDusterTroyOppenheimerDavid B.SchultzMarjorie M.WellmanDavid. WhiteWashing Race: The Myth of a Color-Blind Society (University of California Press, 2003). An examination of education, crime, poverty, and voting that demonstrates how the myth of color blindness shapes contemporary American society. (Reviewed in this issue.).
2.
CarbyHazel V.. Race Men (Harvard University Press, 1998). Historical survey of the ideas of W. E. B. Du Bois, Paul Robeson, and other African-American intellectuals.
3.
CruseHarold. The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual (William Morrow, 1967). A classic work that analyzes the challenges facing African-American intellectuals and how they respond to them.
4.
NealMark A.. Songs in the Key of Life: A Rhythm and Blues Nation (Routledge, 2003). Neal points to the contributions and problems of contemporary black popular culture.
5.
WinantHoward. The World Is a Ghetto: Race and Democracy Since World War II (Basic Books, 2001). A comprehensive, historical analysis that shows the importance of studying race in a global context.
