Separate and Unequal

Consider this book “a case study in the futility of leadership by blueribbon panel,” said Edward Kosner in The Wall Street Journal. In 1967, in the wake of deadly urban riots, a presidential commission was convened to study the causes of the unrest, and wound up splintering along lines that have divided the country ever since. The final Kerner Commission report was a best-seller that put the blame on white racism and advocated sweeping remedies. Not even President Johnson wanted to hear that.