Using in-depth interviews of high achieving African Americans who came of age prior to or before the Civil Rights movement and those who grew up in the post-Civil Rights era, this book documents that race still matters in the twenty-first century. The work details the lived experiences of African Americans and how they grapple daily with what W. E. Du Bois called the double consciousness, living within and between two worlds. A new chapter details how the post-Civil Rights generation interprets and navigates the racial terrain differently than the Civil Rights generation, which has implication for group identity and group mobility.

About the Author
Lois Benjamin is Endowed University Professor of Sociology at Hampton University. She is the author of The Black Elite, Three Black Generations at the Crossroads, and Dreaming No Small Dreams: William R. Harvey's Visionary Leadership, among other works.

Reviews
Praise for the first edition: Lois Benjamin's The Black Elite offers many insights?especially for white readers?into the obstacles black Americans face if they seek careers in what are essentially white organizations. . . . In her cool and quietaccount, Benjamin illuminates realities of race that most whites never have to think about.... -- Andrew Hacker * The New York Review Of Books *
Praise for the first edition: The Black Elite by Lois Benjamin is a first class hands-on account of the color true world where discimination and success meet in black and white America..... * The New England Reviews Of Books *
Praise for the first edition: [Benjamin's] assertions are so unequivocal that all readers must agree that the vicissitudes associated with racism transcent the status achievements of all African Americans..... * CHOICE *
[T]he best, most current, book-length documentation and interpretation of modern anti-black bias. -- Joe R. Feagin, Texas A&M University * The Chronicle of Higher Education *
This work is captivating...a passionate work that captures the experiences of a particular social strata. It has appeal for both the scholarly community and broader society for it is written in a fashion devoid of much of the typical sociological jargon. The second edition of The Black Elite is a significant contribution. -- Delores P. Aldridge Ph.D, Emory University, Grace Towns Hamilton, distinguished professor emerita of sociology and African American studies, Emory University
Praise for the first edition: Lois Benjamin's The Black Elite offers many insights-especially for white readers-into the obstacles black Americans face if they seek careers in what are essentially white organizations. . . . In her cool and quiet account, Benjamin illuminates realities of race that most whites never have to think about. -- Andrew Hacker * The New York Review Of Books *
Praise for the first edition: The Black Elite by Lois Benjamin is a first class hands-on account of the color true world where discimination and success meet in black and white America. * The New England Reviews Of Books *
Praise for the first edition: [Benjamin's] assertions are so unequivocal that all readers must agree that the vicissitudes associated with racism transcent the status achievements of all African Americans. * CHOICE *



Book Information
ISBN 9780742541856
Author Lois Benjamin
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
Weight(grams) 526g
Dimensions(mm) 227mm * 151mm * 30mm