Racism and the Law is a text and casebook that provides an introduction about the close and complex relationships between race and law, legal institutions, and legal personnel. It is designed primarily for undergraduate students in several fields, including political science, history, African-American studies, public policy, sociology, and others. The book combines original text with primary documents, especially judicial decisions and statutory materials from the U.S. Constitution to controversial contemporary issues including affirmative action and immigration issues in various states. The author provides historical, political, and linguistic analyses of these legal materials throughout the volume. The book also deals with the major historical legal developments that have caused and reinforced discrimination against African-Americans, Asians, and Latinos. The book addresses the courageous efforts of civil rights lawyers and organizations working for racial justice and equality in America. A major feature is a concluding chapter suggesting specific directions for prospective lawyers who hope to work for racial justice in the early 21st century. The volume also includes a bibliography for readers who wish to explore the topics in greater depth. Paul Von Blum is Senior Lecturer in African American Studies and Communication Studies at UCLA, where he has taught since 1980, after 11 years of faculty service at the University of California at Berkeley. He has received Distinguished Teaching Awards at both Berkeley and UCLA and teaches a course in Race, Racism and the Law. Trained originally as a lawyer at UC Berkeley, he has handled racial profiling and other public interest cases for 40 years. He is the author of six previous books and over 100 articles on art and cultural history, law, education, and politics.
