Sociologist Collins (Black Feminist Thought
) argues that four dimensions of racial discrimination continue to characterize American society: structural, cultural, disciplinary and interpersonal, contending that symbolic victories such as the election of Obama and the success of black women like Oprah Winfrey and Condoleezza Rice are no substitute for substantive change. As the book's title suggests, attention is focused on public education, where sensitivity to minority group cultural characteristics is often lacking and racial disparities continue. Well-intentioned efforts at “forced assimilation” alienate minority group students who seek affirmation for their own distinctive perspectives. The author's personal experiences as a black woman and as a teacher enliven the book. She presents a variety of teaching tools: a classroom exercise “Lie Detector” that helped her to cultivate critical thinking in a sixth-grade class and other methods appropriate for college students. Despite such pedagogically useful material, the book, fashioned from a series of lectures given at Simmons College, remains an intellectually challenging monograph on race relations. While calling for “reimagining public education,” it offers few specifics for fashioning “another kind of public education.” (May)
