Lecture 24. Who Speaks for the Race?

American History: From Emancipation to the Present (AFAM 162)

In this lecture, Professor Holloway discusses how race influenced public policy by examining some of the key cultural symbols of the past few decades, all in an effort to answer the question: how is race used in our society? Professor Holloway discusses Bill Clinton's policies in particular, honing in on his ability to connect with the African American community, the controversy surrounding Lani Guinier's cabinet appointment, and his National Dialogue on Race. He then turns to California to examine the passage of Propositions 187 and 209, which begin to call into question common notions about civil rights legislation and affirmative action in our nation. In the remainder of the lecture, Professor Holloway talks about four landmark court cases--Shaw v. Reno, Adarand v. Pena, Hopwood v. Texas, and Grutter v. Bollinger--to shed light on the way race began to operate in a legal setting, as well as the general dumbing down of discourse in politics and media about race, in the post-civil rights era.

Warning: This lecture contains graphic content and/or adult language that some users may find disturbing.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Bill Clinton's and Lani Guinier
11:39 - Chapter 2. The Passage of Propositions 187 and 209
28:24 - Chapter 3. Shaw v. Reno
33:39 - Chapter 4. Adarand v. Peña and Hopwood v. Texas
37:22 - Chapter 5. Grutter v. Bollinger

Complete course materials are available at the Yale Online website: online.yale.edu


This course was recorded in Spring 2010.