Learning Goal: I’m working on a writing question and need a sample draft to help me learn.

Answer each question separately, does not have to be in essay format. All readings assigned to questions will be listed below.

(1) According to Derrick Bell, what is the Critical Race Theory concept of “interest convergence?” How might it affect the ability to achieve meaningful social change through law?

(2) After reading Sora Han’s essay, Brown’s Many Times, do you think law can address the violence of structural inequality? Why or why not?

(3) What is one example of psychological harm caused by inequality today, either in your own life, or in society in general? What is so harmful about it?

Answer preview

Convergence of interests requires that African Americans win civil liberties whenever white Americans and African American interests coincide. Bell contended that in Brown v. Board of Education, where the ruling prohibited de jure segregation in educational institutions, it might not have been the consequence of a moral advancement by the judge. Still, instead, a judgment was required to attain American Cold War targets, wherein the US competed with Russia for third-world allegiances (Milner IV, 2008). Additionally, it attempted to alleviate the danger of domestic disturbance, a genuine worry for African American veterans, who already recognized continuing inequality as a direct result of their service in World War II. Additionally, the ruling enabled integration in the South since the objectives of Racial justice aligned briefly with those of White capitalists, allowing for a result that benefitted African Americans (Milner IV, 2008).

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