The major issues for African Americans today, such as poverty, low graduation rates, high rates of out-of-wedlock births, and high rates of incarceration, are of national importance. This volume provides a solid foundation on the basis of which high school, community college, and college students can understand and debate nine of today’s crucial issues in the context of the past and the present. These issues are slavery reparations, crime and punishment, cultural assimilation, Affirmative Action, school vouchers, standardized tests, Welfare-to-Work, stereotypes, and election reform.

The history of slavery, segregation, and racism continue to impact African Americans and the rest of society. For the youth of today, born after the major gains of the Civil Rights Movement, this book will be valuable to see how much more progress is needed. They will find an historical overview of the issues, learn about the main players, and read about the different sides. Under the topical chapters, readers will be able to consider the fuller spectrum of news items, such as the basis of Kwanzaa, whether comic Bill Cosby’s comments about African Americans are on target, and what can be done about the voting disenfranchising in our current political system. Current events will be made more meaningful with this authoritative information and the interactive debates and activities.