Back to the future
Forty years after the Kerner Commission warned the United States was moving towards two separate and unequal societies, Penn's Center for Africana Studies revisited the issue to determine just how far America has come since those dark days.
The Center partnered with North Carolina A&T University for the "Kerner Plus 40" symposium, a retrospective on the commission and how its recommendations have impacted society four decades later. Journalists and academics conducted empirical research, did investigative reporting and held discussions to determine the state of the cities most affected by the 1960s rebellions. At Penn, former President Bill Clinton served as keynote speaker for the event.
Center for Africana Studies Director Tukufu Zuberi says the effort convinced him that while U.S. government attempted to solve some of the problems outlined in the report, racial divisions remain a serious problem. "As long as we continue to put patches over the problem," Zuberi concluded, "the problem will remain with us."
More Increasing Access
