Free at Last? - Black America in the Twenty-first Century (Paperback)

W.E.B. Du Bois said that "the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color-line." It has been one hundred years since Du Bois made that prescient statement, which naturally leads to the question: "What is the problem of the twenty-first century?"

In this anthology, the authors address a wide range of topics: race, gender, class, sexual orientation, globalism, migration, health, politics, culture, and urban issues--from a diversity of disciplinary perspectives. Paul Attewell, David Lavin, Thurston Domina, and Tania Levey examine the black middle class at the turn of the millennium. Todd C. Shaw considers how race shapes patriotism in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Robert A. Brown focuses on the growing chasm between blacks and whites with regard to views of government's obligation to address citizens' basic needs. H. Alexander Welcome details instances where white scholars have improperly analyzed black experiences. Antonio Pastrana revisits Du Bois's theories about the problems facing blacks. Joy James shows that the United States possesses the means and wealth to record and preserve (or censor) its slave/penal discourse as part of its vast warehouse of (neo)slave narratives.

Ajuan Maria Mance hypothesizes that African-American literature will become less consumed with exploration and documentation of interracial differences, and more concerned with the relationships within ethnic groups. Rosamond S. King explores literary embodiments of the increasing prevalence of interracial relationships. Anthony J. Lemelle and BarBara Scott present a comparative historical policy analysis of the HIV/AIDS experience among African Americans. Sandra Barnes examines sociological promises and problems of the contemporary black church. Juan Battle and Natalie Bennett scrutinize the experiences of African American gays and lesbians in the context of the larger community. Verna Keith and Diane Brown assess the state of African American health in the context of social group structures. Michael Bennett looks at the problems and opportunities facing black Americans from the perspective of urban studies.

Juan Battle is professor of sociology at Hunter College and the City University of New York Graduate Center. Michael Bennett is professor of English at Long Island University, Brooklyn. Anthony Lemelle is professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and the editor of the Journal of African American Studies, published by Transaction.