A little while ago, Democracy Now! went to a conference on race and education sponsored by the Public Education Network, a group that supports community based organizations in uniting and engaging their communities in building systems of public schools that result in high achievement for every child. The whole idea is that these community based groups are the best mechanism for creating broad support for public education and that public education is fundamental to a democratic society.

The keynote address was delivered by Joe Feagin, a graduate research professor in sociology at the University of Florida and the author of Living with Racism: The Black Middle Class Experience.

TAPE:

JOE FEAGIN, a graduate research professor in sociology at the University of Florida and the author of Living with Racism: The Black Middle Class Experience.