This in-depth examination of the major theories of economic justice focuses on the central question: What should the economic distribution of goods and services be based on?
John Arthur Knihy
John Arthur was born in Illinois and moved to Indiana when he was two years old. His parents chose a small town east of Indianapolis that was the birthplace of James Whitcomb Riley. Perhaps growing up in this historical town had an influence on John that inspired him to express his feelings in poetry. James Whitcomb Riley's poems were often tales of ordinary events like the porch swing in "Waitin' Fer the Cat to Die", the young woman that helped around the house in "Little Orphant Annie" and swimming in the creek in "The Old Swimmin' Hole". Like J. W. Riley, John has written poems that capture the significant events in his life from the day he left the Mid-West for California to the present. He has included a dialog where he describes the events in his life that lead up to the poetry. He also includes a broader vision of what he has learned about himself and others along the way in his pursuit of happiness. He is deeply compelled to share what he has learned in order to encourage his readers to begin their pursuit of happiness earlier in their life, so they have more of their life to enjoy. Life is too short to let the down times keep you down. Read his book and begin your path to happiness.
Three recent and highly dramatic national events have shattered the complacency of many Americans about progress, however fitful, in race relations in America. The Clarence Thomas–Anita Hill hearings, the O.J. Simpson trial, and the Million Man March of Louis Farrakhan have forced everyone to reconsider their assumptions about race and racial relations.The Thomas-Hill hearings exposed the complexity and volatility of perceptions about race and gender. The sight of jubilant Blacks and despondent Whites reacting to the O.J. Simpson verdict shook our confidence in shared assumptions about equal protection under the law. The image of hundreds of thousands of Black men gathering in Washington in defense of their racial and cultural identity angered millions of Whites and exposed divisions within the Black community.These events were unfolding at a time when there seemed to be considerable progress in fighting racial discrimination. On the legal side, discrimination has been eliminated in more and more arenas, in theory if not always in practice. Economically, more and more blacks have moved into the middle class, albeit while larger numbers have slipped further back into poverty. Intellectually, figures like Cornel West, Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Patricia J. Williams are playing a central role as public intellectuals.In the face of these disparate trends, it is clear that Americans need to rethink their assumptions about race, racial relations, and inter-racial communication. Color * Class * Identity is the ideal tool to facilitate this process. It provides a richly textured selection of readings from Du Bois, Cornel West, Derrick Bell, and others, as well as a range of responses to the particular controversies that are now dividing us.Color * Class * Identity furthers these debates, showing that the racial question is far more complex than it used to be; it is no longer a simple matter of Black versus White and racial mistrust. A landmark anthology that will help advance understanding of the present unease, not just between Black and White, but within each community, this book will be useful in a broad range of courses on contemporary U.S. society.
