Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism

In the professor’s story, Jason Warfield, lawyer-turned-minister and the leader of an African American civil rights organization (Quad A), nearly dies after a bombing. His near-death experience cements his status as an African American hero. Jason spends months recuperating in Arizona, confident that Quad A is in good hands because its leadership is so distributed and because it is in the very competent hands of Neva Brownlee, his deputy.

After months of recovery and rehabilitation in an Arizona facility, Jason must return to his Quad A work in Washington, D.C., but there is catch: Jason has fallen in love with Sheila Bainbridge, a white woman who is his doctor. He fears being in a relationship with her will disappoint people who support him, especially Neva, who is frequently linked to him as a possible love interest. If he follows through on his desire to be with Sheila, he will place himself in a long line of high-profile African American men who have married white women once they achieve success.

Having majored in African American studies at Howard University, a Historically Black university, and then attended law school and medical school in D.