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

Derrick Bell (1930-2011) is the author of Faces at the Bottom of the Well. Bell’s reputation as a legal scholar is based on his contributions to legal cases during the 1960s and 1970s that ended legal segregation in education; he later made important contributions to legal scholarship as a law professor, writer, and academic administrator at several law schools. Bell is most associated with critical race theory, a concept he explores from several different perspectives and in various arenas in each of the pieces in this volume.

Bell writes in his own voice in the preface and introduction. This voice is scholarly and authoritative because of his inclusion of references and direct quotes from a range of sources from fields such as the law, literature, sociology, and history; In fact, several of his references are to works he published in respected law journals. His grasp on so many fields and the language associated with them builds credibility with his audience as he advances his controversial thesis that racism is permanent.

Bell also uses a law professor persona in dialogues with the fictional characters in several of the pieces included in this book.