Marisela Martinez-Cola – författare

The story of race and ethnicity in the US today is one not of discrete racial groups and categories, but is instead a broader story of inequalities and challenges that cross all categories. The traditional "group-by-group" approach to teaching this course does not accurately reflect this story. It can make it a challenge to teach about intersectionality, which is inextricably linked to racial inequality, and it is an approach that does not reflect the lived experience of most students. Students come into this course thinking they "understand" racial inequality, but rarely have an understanding of how the definition of race has changed over time. They also can come away from the course feeling overwhelmed by the amount and depth of racism and inequality that is built into US society. Golash-Boza and Martinez-Cola address these teaching issues and challenges head-on by taking a topical, critical, and contemporary approach that focuses on how and when the idea of race was created and how it developed and changed over time; how structural racism has worked historically to reproduce inequality; how race, class, and gender work together to create inequality and identities; and how racial justice could be imagined and realized.

This text distinguishes itself by moving beyond traditional group-based approaches to race, instead adopting a comprehensive, topical framework that centers intersectionality and contemporary issues. The accessible narrative is enriched by personal stories, critical research insights, and global perspectives, all presented alongside updated data and visuals. Each chapter combines rigorous academic analysis with practical tools for meaningful discussion, equipping students not only with knowledge but with strategies for thoughtful engagement in conversations about race. The integration of digital resources-including videos, self-quizzes, and flashcards-ensures that learners can interact with the material in multiple ways, fostering a multidimensional understanding of current and historical racial dynamics in the United States.

In 1954 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that state laws establishing racial segregation are unconstitutional, declaring “separate is inherently unequal.” Known as a seminal Supreme Court case and civil rights victory, Brown v. Board of Education resulted from many legal battles that predicated its existence. Marisela Martinez-Cola writes about the many important cases that led to the culmination of Brown. She reveals that the road to Brown is lined with “bricks” representing at least one hundred other families who legally challenged segregated schooling in state and federal courts across the country, eleven of which involved Chinese American, Native American, and Mexican American plaintiffs. By revealing the significance of Chinese American, Native American, and Mexican American segregation cases, Martinez-Cola provides an opportunity for an increasingly diverse America to be fully invested in the complete grand narrative of the civil rights movement. To illustrate the evolution of these cases, she focuses on three court cases from California, including these stories as part of the “long civil rights movement,” and thus expands our understanding of the scope of that movement along racial, gender, and class lines. Comparing and discussing the meaning of the other court cases that led to the Brown decision strengthens the standing of Brown while revealing all the twists and turns inherent in the struggle for equality.