Virtual Book Talk With Richard Rothstein | “The Color of Law” and “Just Action”

Join us for a virtual talk by author Richard Rothstein, who will discuss his books “The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America” and “Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law.” In “The Color of Law,” Rothstein argues with exacting precision and fascinating insight how segregation in America — the incessant kind that continues to dog our major cities and has contributed to so much recent social strife — is the byproduct of explicit government policies at the local, state, and federal level. “Just Action” describes how we can begin to address this situation and provides dozens of strategies that local groups can pursue to redress segregation in their own communities. Rothstein is a Distinguished Fellow of the Economic Policy Institute and Senior Fellow Emeritus of the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. This event is part of the Library’s programming related to the exhibition “House to Highway: Reclaiming a Community History,” on view at the Library from July 14, 2025, to Feb. 28, 2026. This is a free event, but registration is required. For more information, contact [email protected].