Is the phenomenon of “acting white” a perverse consequence of school desegregation? That’s the controversial idea examined in a recent diavlog between Richard Thompson Ford of Stanford and John McWhorter of City Journal. John and Rich debate what’s fueling the “acting white” accusation and whether a segregated school can be a good thing. Jamelle Bouie at The American Prospect objected to John’s conclusions, arguing that “there simply isn’t much broad empirical evidence for the claim that black students in integrated settings have a racialized antipathy toward educational achievement.” At The Root, John replied that Bouie’s assertion “simply isn’t true.”
