Blacks in the White Establishment?: A Study of Race and Class in America

I read this book for a class of mine on education. As a class we were impressed that statistically speaking, a small group of black Americans were given a huge educational opportunity and sent to elite private schools and possible an Ivy League education. This book is somewhat difficult to read, yet it is interesting for people understanding the impact of higher education on marginilized and low-income students. It was very interesting how these people excelled in highly competitive schools and found a better life. The biggest criticism my instructor said of the ABC program was it educated the few and leaves behind the rest; yet, my class argues back it was better than nothing. Personally, it is amazing these people were allowed to go through; they did well and demonstrated blacks can be in the white establishment. The newer version, "Blacks in the White Elite" has a newer afterword at the end, but is essentially the same book.

The book describes the intricate and uneasy intersection of race and class in the United States. It is a fascinating study of a group of mostly Negro high schoolers in the 60s, who won scholarships under "A Better Chance" program, that admitted them to exclusive prep schools like Groton and Foxcroft. These schools had historically [and largely still so] acted as groupings of the white elite class, in a nation that tends to deny that any such class exists. The authors interviewed many of those Negroes recently. Through statistical studies, and anecdotes about individuals, the book shows how their lives reflected the massive changes in American society in the last 40 years. A sizable number of the interviewees rose to high ranks in corporate America, and could well be regarded as fully fledged members of an elite class. A Marxist [if any are still around] would not regard this book with affection. It does not seem to consider the existence of the elite as a problem. Rather, it tries to show how the elite "improved" by increasing its diversity.

I was assigned to read this book for my Sociology 101 class. However unlike your ordinary textbook, I found this overview of the program known as A Better Chance, quite entertaing. The personal stories keep you intrested, and at the same time you learn the sociologists view of race and class. Overall one of the best "textbooks" I've been assigned.