Many people believe the end of legal discrimination gave blacks the same chance of success as other Americans. And by any measure, African-Americans' social, economic and political standing has vastly improved since the civil rights upheavals of the 1950s and '60s. Yet, by all the same measures — wealth, income, life expectancy, school success, crime rates — blacks lag far behind whites. Many African-Americans — and not a few whites — say discrimination, whether due to institutional habits or deliberate prejudice, prevents them from attaining jobs and homes equal to those enjoyed by whites. The recent Supreme Court decision upholding affirmative action heartened many blacks. But racially tinged incidents, such as those in Cincinnati, Benton Harbor, Mich., and Tulia, Texas, periodically shatter Americans' complacency about race.

Alan Greenblatt has been writing about politics and government in Washington and the states for more than a decade. As a reporter at Congressional Quarterly, he won the National Press Club’s Sandy Hume award for political journalism. Since joining the staff of Governing magazine, he has covered issues of concern to state and local governments, including budgets, taxes, and higher education. Along the way, he has written about politics and culture for numerous publications, including the Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Alan Greenblatt has been writing about politics and government in Washington and the states for more than a decade. As a reporter at Congressional Quarterly, he won the National Press Club’s Sandy Hume award for political journalism. Since joining the staff of Governing magazine, he has covered issues of concern to state and local governments, including budgets, taxes, and higher education. Along the way, he has written about politics and culture for numerous publications, including the Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle.