The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America

This readable book is interesting on several grounds.First, it is a compendium. Coleman Hughes’ book concerning colorblindness as the antidote to neoracism – defined as “racism in anti-racist clothing” (p. 154) -- organizes within two covers some major events of what John McWhorter previously has identified as the “woke racism” of recent decades. Personally I have read, from a sense of duty, more of the literature on this topic (including Loury, Steele, Chatterton Williams, Reed, Fields & Fields, and Sowell) than the likes of myself might have if just left to his own devices. Even so, I found a few events discussed here (e.g., a psychiatrist holding forth at Yale on “The Psychopathic Problem of the White Mind,” pp. 74-75; e.g., pandemic relief for farmers and restaurant owners explicitly excluding whites, pp. 68-72; e.g., a dauntingly rigorous process for selecting and retaining air traffic controllers replaced by a biographical questionnaire, in the interests of increasing minority figures among that workforce, pp. 118-119) that surprised me. Key statistics are marshalled (for example, the common perception, including among les bien-pensants, that American police killings of Blacks run into four digits annually when in fact the figure is barely into two digits, p. 98). Taken together, the result is a big picture, and specifically one that otherwise might be less well in focus, even by people knowledgeable on the topic. I found this aspect very useful.Second, it is full of analysis. The author cuts through a lot of fog to hone in, in short order, on the core claims of neoracists like DiAngelo, Kendi, Crenshaw, Coates, and Hannah-Jones. In particular, ch. 5, “The Neoracist Narrative,” works through a table of current fallacies. The central claim of Hughes’ analysis is that old racism has shot its bolt; post-racism is neither feasible nor desirable; what passes for “anti-racism” turns out to be neoracism; but there remains a choice between neoracism and colorblindness. Having tried to dismantle the intellectual credibility of neoracism in chs. 1-5, he goes on in ch. 6 to contemplate a colorblind way forward. (Colorblind would mean “class-based rather than race-based policies;” p. 154.)Third, it is a model of argumentation. For one thing (and most glaringly) Hughes offers arguments, where his neoracist foils tend to settle for assertion ex cathedra. For another, he pays attention to what conditions would be required to sustain argument (for example, the need to show that racial disparities 1] are malignant not benign and that 2] any malignant ones can only be attributable to racism; p. 108ff). In addition, Hughes makes deft use of analogy to puncture cant and deflate sophistry and special pleading. (Does talking more about race help eliminate racism? Would making baseball central to the curriculum decrease or increase animosities between Yankee and Sox fans? pp. 98-100; Or: suppose your friend Tom calls himself an atheist; but everything he does believe turns out coincidentally to align literally with the King James Version. Is Tom believable? pp 23-24.)One could argue with Hughes’ arguments. (For example, I wonder if those who hold to what he calls “The Myth of No Progress” [i.e., after slavery, Jim Crow or the Civil Rights movement] would rest content with his examples like the [uncatastrophizing] fact that the KKK is about the same size as the Flat Earth Society, or that the Blacksonian museum on the Mall has had to turn away overflow crowds [pp. 127ff], rather than push back with examples about Red state legislatures wishing to ban Critical Race Theory.) But opponents are free to seek refutation because he does make arguments. In any case he does play a lot of Devil’s Advocate in anticipating counter-arguments.For this reason, apart from being a book on its particular topic, I could see this being assigned not only in logic class but also in speech and rhetoric. It is an exemplar.Nit-picking little quibble (and it is merely rhetorical): spot on to highlight the “racism” in “neoracism.” “Reverse racism,” pp. 59-60, undermines this. (As if racism were heritably white, such that neoracism is illegitimately a kind of cultural appropriation?) Otherwise, a very fine book, a good read, and a welcome addition.Ibram X. Kendi has refused to debate Hughes on the grounds that 1) he has not been awarded a doctorate and 2) he does not hold a professorship. Hughes recently earned a BA in Philosophy at Columbia. I invite the potential reader to judge whether or not this book goes to show what a rigorous undergraduate liberal education can do for a person, compared with the puffery and credentialism of Dr Kendi & co.

Thank you to Coleman Hughes for writing a very concise, well-researched and poignant book on one of the most important issues of our time. I can only hope that this book is widely read, because his arguments will resonate with most, if not all reasonable people who recognize out common humanity and do not wish to live in a world where all we see is race. The ignorance of the counter-arguments (“neoracism” as he accurately calls it) is exposed and the premises of those shoddy arguments are thoroughly debunked. I now understand why Mr. Kendi & Ms. DiAngelo refuse to debate him. He would (kindly as is Coleman’s style) skewer every argument they could raise. I have been a long-time listener of Coleman’s podcast and have been disappointed that they stopped a while back, but I now understand why. Coleman needs to get the word out about this book so that the masses can read it and absorb it. It would be great if high school age children would read this before they left for college. Thank you again, Coleman. This is a masterpiece.

Coleman Hughes' *The End of Race Politics* is an exceptional read. I deeply appreciated his perspective as a Black man, which brings a unique and valuable viewpoint to the discussion on race. His arguments are easy to understand, and his ability to present clear and concise ideas is impressive. The book offers thoughtful insights and makes a compelling case for moving beyond race-based politics. Highly recommended for anyone interested in this important conversation!

This is a wonderful and very important book, well-researched and written. Hughes is correct about the many problems with what he calls “neoracism” which is, as he describes it, just another form of racism that does not help the people that it pretends to help.I give the book less than five stars because of some problems:First, Hughes writes as if “race” were a real, physical thing for humans. He talks this way, too. Unfortunately, that’s worse than incorrect; it’s damaging because giving more weight to the “race” memes, by talking or writing about them as real things, just creates more racism. That’s not necessary. There is no physical or scientific basis for the idea of “race” for people in historical times.Second, Hughes dreams for society are great except for the name he gives them: “colorblindness.” That label defeats Hughes’ vision because it recalls people saying absurd things like “I don’t see skin color.”The book also has some inconsistencies, e.g., Hughes’ support for affirmative action (page 62) followed soon by a lucid argument that affirmative action is just another form of racism.I’m glad for this book because it argues against racism of any kind, but I’m disappointed that it just doesn’t go far enough towards that end.

I bought this book after seeing Mr Coleman on The View. The close minded hosts of The View seemed to misinterpret and/or misunderstand the simple concepts he was trying to convey - quickly dismissing even a simple concept like blindness. I needed to know more so bought the book.In the book Coleman relates experiences from his own youth as he went through the both public and private schools and then college and how his race impacted him and others around him. He provides fact based information to support his ideas...many of which are very compelling. At the same time he allows the reader to come to their own conclusions not being preacher or matter of fact.The book is an easy read and left me wondering why anyone would see it any other way.I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a better understanding of how and why race issues seem to be so in our face now days.

Well researched and well written. A great argument for getting back to the true objectives of the civil rights movement.

Coleman takes the reader on a journey through all the ways in which neoracists, as he calls them, have missed the mark on being truly anti racist. The main argument throughout is that rather than an endless cycle of racial strife and discriminatory policies, what is needed is a state of affairs where one’s race has no bearing on the rights, freedoms, or opportunities afforded to them. This book is long enough to develop a complete exposition of the argument, but short enough to keep the reader engaged. Highly recommend!

The book calmly and clearly considers the above proposition. People who take it as read that "everything is racist" should read Coleman Hughes's book instead. It is a moving testament to the memory of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech.

everyone should read this book

Having read and been deeply frustrated by the ideas presented in Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility, I was thrilled to see that Coleman Hughes had produced a compelling, well written book that counters this vision for the future of race relations. Well organized and well argued, I'd recommend it to anyone who has listened to Coleman before (although it reiterates many arguments he has made before) and to those who are new to his intellect.

AWESOME