William Julius Wilson: The Bridge Over The Racial Divide: Rising Inequality And Coalition Politics

With the country experiencing unprecedented economic prosperity, it's easy to forget that not everyone is benefiting from the boom. While many are better off than they were a decade ago, great economic disparities still exist: The wage gap may have finally stopped growing, but the gulf between rich and poor has yet to shrink. It's often minorities who bear the brunt of this discrepancy, and despite the efforts of affirmative action and civil-rights legislation, ingrained racism may still be to blame. So argues Harvard scholar William Julius Wilson in his latest book, The Bridge Over The Racial Divide. Wilson's past books—including The Truly Disadvantaged and When Work Disappears—have avoided finger-pointing rhetoric, working instead toward solutions to problems faced by the urban poor. The Bridge Over The Racial Divide, adapted from one of Wilson's lectures, is no different, but it pushes practical, hands-on politics more than most of his previous studies. He writes that racial and class disparities are often related, so it's to the benefit of the lower and middle classes to work together to gain greater employment opportunities in a global market that stresses skilled labor. This multiracial coalition would serve as a powerful lobbying and activist group that, through organized action, could help undo some of the damage wrought by years of racism. Wilson's manifesto may be idealistic, and his semantic approach to affirmative action—he calls it "affirmative opportunity"—may be naïve. But in an age rife with manifestos calling for anti-authoritarianism, destruction, and agitated conflict, it's refreshing to read one calling for cooperation and constructive activism.