In the Face of Inequality

Download or read book In the Face of Inequality written by Melissa E. Wooten and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2015-06-11 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First comparative historical analysis of the organizational growth of black colleges. A quarter of black Americans earn college degrees from black colleges, yet questions about the necessity of black colleges abound. In the Face of Inequality dissects the ways in which race and racism combined to shape the experiences of America’s black colleges in the mid-twentieth century. In a novel approach to this topic, Melissa E. Wooten combines historical data with a sociological approach. Drawing on extensive quantitative and qualitative historical data, Wooten argues that for much of America’s history, educational and social policy was explicitly designed to limit black colleges’ organizational development. As an alternative to questioning the modern day relevance of these schools, Wooten asks readers to consider how race and racism precludes black colleges from acquiring the resources and respect worthy of them. Melissa E. Wooten is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.