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The Rhetorical Allure Of Post-Racial Process Discourse And The Democratic Myth, Cedric Merlin Powell

Cedric M. Powell

We are witnessing the power of distorted and neutral rhetoric that rings with deceptive clarity. This post-racial process discourse is advanced on many levels: in political discourse, by a distrustful citizenry energized by hateful rhetoric that appeals to their concerns of being “left behind” on the basis of “preferences” for minorities that diminish America’s “greatness,” and a Court that seeks to constitutionalize a mythic democracy that promises participation while implicitly endorsing structural exclusion.

Voter initiatives should not determine the substantive core of the Fourteenth Amendment. While democratic participation is essential to our Republic, decisions like Schuette perpetuate a democratic myth …

From Louisville To Liddell: Schools, Rhetorical Neutrality, And The Post-Racial Equal Protection Clause, Cedric Merlin Powell

Cedric M. Powell

As we commemorate the inspiring legacy of Minnie Liddell and countless liberation activists who struggled for substantive equality in education for generations, it is appropriate to reflect on the current state and future of urban education. The school desegregation (integration) movements in Louisville, Kentucky and St. Louis, Missouri can best be understood as two distinct permutations of the Process Theory. In Louisville, the process-orientation tilts toward individual choice—neighborhood schools are at the core of all of the discussions about student assignment plans. Conversely, in St. Louis, the seminal process initiative is charter schools. Neither processual outcome addresses the present day …