The Darden Dilemma: 12 Black Writers on Justice, Race, and Conflicting Loyalties

Front Cover
Ellis Cose
HarperPerennial, 1997 - Law - 261 pages
After the O. J. Simpson trial, when Christopher Darden spoke out against those blacks who labeled him an "Uncle Tom" for trying to send a black man to jail, he brought to light the conflicting loyalties he felt as a black prosecutor. In The Darden Dilemma, edited and with an introduction by Ellis Cose, twelve of our finest writers, journalists, and legal professionals address the clashing allegiances of not only black prosecutors but also of black journalists, jurors, judges, police officers - even crime victims. In an age when young black men are imprisoned at astounding rates, many doubt that our justice system is as fair and color-blind as it purports to be. The diverse contributors to The Darden Dilemma speak to those doubts as they address many of the essential issues of racial identity and the justice system: from Anita Hill, on the conflicts between racial solidarity and black female autonomy; to Stanley Crouch, on the "allegiances" of the predominantly black Simpson jury; to Elijah Anderson, on the precarious balance between being a "race man" or a "sellout". Much more than an examination of the significance of the O. J. Simpson trial, The Darden Dilemma is about functioning in a world in which black and white perceptions are often at odds - and whether it's possible to bring them closer together.

From inside the book

Contents

Reflections of a Reformed Prosecutor
1
Willie Lipscombs Crusade
20
Selling Hostile Chocolate
49
Copyright

5 other sections not shown

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About the author (1997)

Ellis Jonathan Cose is a black American newswriter whose public policy pieces won the Newswriting Award from Illinois United Press International in 1973, the Stock-o-Type Award from the Chicago Newspaper Guild in 1975, and Lincoln University National Unity Award for Best Political Reporting in 1975 and 1977. Cose was born February 20, 1951, and grew up on the west side of Chicago. He began writing his first column at age nineteen for the Chicago Sun-Times while earning a B.A. from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Cose was assigned to cover Jimmy Carter's 1976 presidential campaign. Cose sees writing as a way to bridge racial and cultural differences. His Energy and the Urban Crisis, as well as other books, discuss the effect energy issues have on the poor. In A Nation of Strangers, published in 1992, Cose discusses immigration and prejudice in U.S. history. Cose is also author of Employment and Journalism. He challenges the sociological notion that racism most strongly effects the under class. Cose has long worked in the public sector, and in California headed the Institute for Journalism Education.

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