From the Freedom Rides to the L.A. City Council

Desegregating a Houston Coffee Shop Helped Change America—and My Life

When traveling by air, rail, or bus across country on business or pleasure, I always recall the summer of 1961, when the Freedom Rides made interstate travel the democratic activity we take for granted.

Racial segregation on trains or in bus stations is unthinkable today. But I remember the days when it was the law or custom in many places, especially in the South. I was raised in New Orleans, and learned early from family what segregated life was like as a Negro and would probably be like for the …

by Robert Farrell | March 12, 2015

The Civil Rights Act Is Broken

A Law Written to Protect Blacks in the Deep South Has Become a Source of Discrimination in a Diversifying Nation

by John D. Skrentny | July 22, 2014

Californians, like other Americans, like to think that race should never be a qualification for a job, that everyone deserves an equal opportunity and a fair shake. This principle undergirds …