The United States of America

The author's analysis is focused on the racial tension between blacks and whites in the United States of America, which has a history of tension going back centuries. There are brief references to other, somewhat similar forms of racism (i.e. apartheid in South Africa) but for the most part, the author's intent is to focus on the unique experiences of being black in America.

Racism

Racism is the broad-strokes term for a group of negative attitudes that define identity, relationships, communities, values, perspectives, and practices in terms of race. The particular form of racism examined by the book, as noted above, is that which comes into play between the black and white races in America: it should be noted, however, that racism has many forms and manifestations, with America's experience being only one of several around the world.

Slavery

Slavery is the...