A review by maryreadstoomuch
The State Must Provide: Why America's Colleges Have Always Been Unequal—And How to Set Them Right by Adam Harris

4.0

Adam Harris takes the reader on a journey through the history of US higher education, paying special attention to the pervasive racism embedded in this system. You've likely heard of Plessy vs. Ferguson and Brown vs. Board of Education, but the lawsuits of various Black plaintiffs seeking higher education have mostly been lost to history. Harris shows the struggle of these men and women and how various states conspired to keep segregation alive despite court decisions telling them they couldn't do so. The land grant college system was unequal from the start, and the segregation it permitted only continues today. The beginning of the book discussing the founding of the system was a little dry, but the 2nd and 3rd parts of the book, covering the NAACP lawsuits and the state of the system today were very enlightening and readable. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in inequality and systemic racism, or the history of US universities.

Thank you to Ecco for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.