Locked in the Poorhouse Cities Race & Poverty in the United States

Thirty years ago President Johnson convened the Kerner Commission to examine the reasons why race riots were rampant. The commission concluded that the U.S. was moving towards two societies, one black, one white, separate and unequal. Today, poverty in America is worse than in 1968. In the midst of a U.S. economic boom, the country is resegregating, and poor African Americans and Hispanics continue to be concentrated in urban environments. With contributors including best-selling author William Julius Wilson, this book shows what works and what doesn't in dealing with these problems and offers practical policy recommendations.

Poverty in the United States is worse than it was 30 years ago when the original Kerner Commission Report was issued: The poor get poorer even in the midst of a U.S. economic boom, the country is resegregating, and poor African-Americans and Hispanics are becoming concentrated in cities from which it is even harder to escape. This book shows what works and what doesn't in dealing with these problems and offers practical policy recommendations for changing America's present course.