Prisons, one of the most segregated institutions in America, are also one of its most promising growth industries. Blacks account for the vast majority of these inmates. Yet, according to the Justice Department, African-Americans don't use drugs any more than whites. They are not surprised at the yin-yang of race relations at the end of the 20th century. They say it's simply a reflection of history.
Racial progress is cyclical.
So, in Texas, we began the century with legally segregated public schools. In the middle of the century, desegregation was ordered, beginning with the University of Texas at Austin's elite law school. A few years ago, three white judges in a federal appellate court declared that those preferences were illegal. The University of Texas at Austin law school now appears to be returning to segregation. By order of law.