Gospel Choirs Psalms Of Survival In An Alien Land Called Home

by Bell, Derrick

• ISBN13: 9780465024131
• ISBN10: 0465024130
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-05-30
• Publisher: Basic Books

Summary

Through parables and essays, Derrick Bell offers an eloquent work of social commentary on the permanence of racism."Gospel," says Derrick Bell, "and particularly the gospel choir at its best, echoes the tempos of the soul searching for God's peace in the midst of a hostile world."Just like the songs of a gospel choir, the pieces in this book give voice to the hardships faced by African Americans. Through allegorical stories and fictional encounters, dreams, and dialogues, it presents fresh perspectives on the different issues that concern Blacks, such as the message ofThe Bell Curve,the Contract with America, the media's handling of Black men, and corporate greed's responsibility for today's rising "White rage" and subsequent "Black blame." Despite their tough subjects, however, these stories resound with laughter and compassion and a continuing theme of Christian love. Ultimately, like the gospel songs, they offer African Americans hope and direction as they travel the racist world they inhabit.

Author Biography

Derrick Bell, a visiting professor at New York University Law School, was dismissed by Harvard University from his position as Weld Professor of Law for refusing to end his two-year leave through which he protested the absence of minority women on the law faculty. He is also the author of Faces at the Bottom of the Well, Confronting Authority, and And We Are Not Saved.

Table of Contents

Prologue	p. 1
Redemption Deferred: Back to the Space Traders	p. 17
Trying to Teach the White Folks	p. 29
Living with the Specter of Calhoun	p. 49
Staying "No Ways Tired"	p. 60
The Freedom of Employment Act	p. 74
Shadow Song	p. 91
The Mentality of Race	p. 103
Nigger Free	p. 115
Racial Royalties	p. 141
Women to the Rescue	p. 152
The Electric Slide Protest	p. 164
Equality's Child	p. 174
The Entitlement	p. 188
The Gospel Light	p. 203
Acknowledgments	p. 215
Notes	p. 217
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