Furman Center: The Dream Revisited: Integration in the 21st Century online debate

The Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy at New York University is running an online debate series entitled, "The Dream Revisited: Integration in the 21st Century." As this is the 50th anniversary of the War on Poverty movement and 60th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, this debate is both interesting and relevant for the future of this country. This debate focuses on the role that segregation in neighborhoods and schools plays in hindering economic and racial equality:

Both residential and school segregation based on income have risen significantly over the past two decades, at the same time as the gap between rich and poor Americans has reached levels not seen since the early 1900s. There is growing evidence that, contrary to the cherished U.S. ideal of social mobility, disparities in wealth are ever more difficult to overcome and likely to be transmitted from one generation to the next.

I provide two outstanding guest posts from the discussions below:

• Sherrilyn Ifill: Focus on the Costs of Segregation for All (Discussion #1: Why Integration?)
• Richard Rothstein: Race Remains the American Dilemma (Discussion #2: Economic Segregation in Schools)