Racism and Justice: The Case for Affirmative Action [Paperback]

Gertrude Ezorsky (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ezorsky ( Moral Rights in the Workplace ) focuses in this extended essay on affirmative action as a means to ending discrimination against African-Americans, arguing that the unique history of black Americans makes them a perfect test case of the policy's efficacy. She writes that "from the post-Reconstruction period to the present . . . racist practices have continued to transmit and reinforce the consequences of slavery," relegating most blacks to jobs that would, 150 years ago, have been reserved for slaves. Moreover, she points out, race-neutral policies such as seniority have the same effect as overtly racist exclusion. Ezorsky's discussion of affirmative action programs is quietly methodical and admirably clear-headed; her prose, unfortunately, is often as dry as it is deliberate. When she turns her attention to the opposition, however, she begins to warm to the task. Although her argument is buttressed by key documents from recent studies, programs and legal cases, one wishes she had gone into greater detail on the nuts-and-bolts effects of the programs. Even so, the book is a useful starting point for any discussion of the morality of affirmative action.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This slender tract argues passionately that affirmative action has been and continues to be a necessary social policy to correct centuries of institutional racism directed at descendants of African slaves. Affirmative action occupies a central place in current controversies about individual rights versus group rights and government's role in balancing those competing rights. Readers seeking moral justification for affirmative action will find this book satisfying. Readers wanting to weigh alternatives will wish to consult opposing viewpoints (e.g., Thomas Sowell's Civil Rights , LJ 9/1/84) and works that consider both sides (e.g., Thomas Edsall's Chain Reaction , LJ 9/15/91; Stephen Carter's Reflections of an Af firmative Action Baby , LJ 9/15/91; Shelby Steele's The Content of Our Character , LJ 8/90). Ezorsky's book will add to the national debate on affirmative action. It is recommended for most libraries.
- Grace Franklin, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., Ohio
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 139 pages
• Publisher: Cornell Univ Pr; 5th edition (November 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801499224
• ISBN-13: 978-0801499227
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,459,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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