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Cultural Norms And Race Discrimination Standards: A Case Study In How The Two Diverge, Derek W. Black

Derek W. Black

The article analyzes the extent to which the current intentional race discrimination standard is consistent with the public’s understanding of discrimination. The analysis reveals that the public has a broader concept of discrimination than the courts. This finding is important because, as many scholars have argued, race and discrimination are not static concepts controlled by the courts. Rather, they are socially constructed concepts. Courts, however, have too often ignored social norms in arriving at race discrimination standards, limiting the conversation to themselves. While many in the academy have noted the Supreme Court’s disregard for social norms and cultural context in …