Nearly 60 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the goal of living in a colorblind society remains stubbornly out of reach. Recent polling revealed that Americans are more pessimistic than optimistic about the country’s ability to ensure racial equality of all people regardless of race or ethnicity. What has led many Americans to have such a dismal view of race relations? In what ways have policies and institutions strayed from working towards a colorblind ideal?

In a new book, Coleman Hughes argues against the rise of the anti-racist movement, which in Hughes’s view has only led to more grievance, victimhood, and marginalization among Black Americans, rather than prosperity and upward mobility. The pursuit of anti-racist policies—including those under the banner of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)—will only create the illusion of racial equality without leading to any substantive change.

Hughes discusses the abandonment of colorblindness as an aspiration; how Americans can reflect constructively about race relations and their own lived experience; and the prospect of achieving true equality and progress.