Richard Rothstein

Richard Rothstein is an accomplished American academic and historian, who has made significant contributions to the understanding of racial segregation in the United States. He is currently an emeritus senior fellow of the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, a fellow of the Economic Policy Institute, and a Fellow at the Haas Institute of the University of California–Berkeley. Rothstein has built a reputation as an expert in housing policy and its impact on racial and economic inequality.

Rothstein's work has focused on the socio-historical analysis of American government policies that have led to the segregation of the United States. His groundbreaking book, "The Color of Law," provides a comprehensive examination of how local, state, and federal governments created policies that segregated metropolitan areas across the country. These policies resulted in the creation of racially homogenous neighborhoods, which violate the Constitution and require remediation. "The Color of Law" has become a bestseller and has brought Rothstein significant recognition.

Before "The Color of Law," Rothstein had already established himself as a prolific author, writing about education policy and its impact on racial and economic inequality. His book "Grading Education" critiques the current system of accountability in education and offers fresh perspectives on how it can be improved. Similarly, "Class and Schools" analyzes policies that could help reform economic, social, and educational policies to close the White-Black achievement gap. In "The Way We Were," Rothstein challenges the realities and myths that inform student achievement in the United States, further analyzed in "The Charter School Dust-Up" and "All Else Equal." Overall, Rothstein's work has been instrumental in shedding light on the systemic issues that perpetuate racial and economic inequality in the United States.