Diane Holloway

Tragedy in Black and White Diane Holloway

What if race relations in the United States got so bad that the nation decided to try a radical idea: separation? The events that propel the country to such an extreme are riots, disturbances in the armed forces and on college campuses, and finally the assassination of a prominent black presidential candidate. In this book a nation-wide referendum approves the idea. Three states are set aside for blacks only, seven just for whites and the other 40 remain integrated. The story follows Mike, a white policeman, to all-white Miami; black college professor Ben and his family to all-black Chicago; and young militant Sherman also to Chicago. The brave new world that each was expecting proves elusive, for both external and internal reasons. This is a story about ambition, love, hate, violence, and betrayal. Marriages will be sorely tried, children will rebel against their parents, careers will take abrupt and surprising turns. All the manifestations of upheaval will be explored against a background of racial misunderstanding. Woven into the story is a study of the background of racial conflict dating back to slavery and segregation. Would such a solution to our racial troubles work?