America’s democracy is uneven and racially imbalanced. Whites and White interests tend to prevail. Racial and ethnic minorities and their interests are more apt to lose out in the policy arenas at local, state, and national levels. That is the story of this book so far. But it need not be the final word. If Americans are concerned about equality within the democratic process and ultimately about the well-being of all, then they need to think about ways to correct for that racial imbalance. One place to start is with the two major political parties.

A quick glance at the nation’s last two presidents highlights the enormous importance that partisanship seems to make. Barack Obama’s signature policy achievement was the passage of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Donald Trump’s first major policy initiative was to attempt to repeal the act. Barack Obama responded to the Black Lives Matter movement by vigorously prosecuting local police forces, and mandating agreements that included major reforms of local police practices.