Separate and unequal

Using extensive and original archival sources, Desmond King demonstrates in vivid detail how the American Federal government affected its Black employees for half a century. He documents how instead of thwarting segregated race relations, the Federal government participated in their maintenance and diffusion. This, the book's first major theme, is explored through detailed examination of Federal government departments and programs.

The book's second major theme is that segregated race relations resulted in intense inequality for Black Americans.