STEP UP Grand Rounds: The Color of Law

Richard Rothstein will discuss his book, The Color of Law, which explodes the myth that America’s cities came to be racially divided through de facto segregation—that is, through individual prejudices, income differences, or the actions of private institutions like banks and real estate agencies. Rather, he argues, it was de jure segregation—the laws and policy decisions passed by local, state, and federal governments—that actually promoted the discriminatory patterns that continue to this day.

The Color of Law was a 2018 NY Times Notable Book and was longlisted for the 2017 National Book Award for Nonfiction.