Coleman Hughes Books

The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America

The End of Race Politics introduces an exciting new voice advocating for a colorblind approach to politics and culture, warning that the so-called ‘anti-racist’ movement is, ironically, steering us toward a new kind of racism.

Coleman Hughes, one of the few black students in his philosophy program at Columbia University, noticed a stark contrast between his peers’ pessimism about American race relations and his grandparents’ more optimistic perspective, despite their experiences with segregation. The End of Race Politics is the culmination of Hughes’ years-long quest to understand this disparity.

Contemplative yet audacious, The End of Race Politics is essential reading for anyone questioning contemporary race orthodoxies. Hughes calls for a return to the ideals that inspired the American Civil Rights movement, arguing that abandoning the colorblind ideal has led to a new era of fear, paranoia, and resentment. This era is marked by draconian interpersonal etiquette, ineffective corporate diversity and inclusion efforts, and detrimental race-based policies that harm the very individuals they aim to help. Hughes critiques the adverse effects of Kendi-DiAngelo-style antiracism, from race-based emergency aid programs to revisionist histories that obscure the truth.

Through careful argument, Hughes dismantles harmful beliefs about race, demonstrating that reverse racism cannot rectify past injustices and that race-based policies create only the illusion of racial equity. By fixating on race, we lose sight of the true essence of anti-racism. Hughes asserts that a racially just, colorblind society is achievable and provides the intellectual tools to make it a reality.