From Black Wall Street to the Story of O.J.: Race, Identity, and Wealth Inequality (HC) (2026)

Explores race, class, and identity in relationship to wealth inequality in America.

From Black Wall Street to the Story of O.J. explores the relationship between race and class in the United States, with an emphasis on wealth as a prism to interpret inequality from the Antebellum period to the present. Lori Latrice Martin introduces new ways of understanding classic works about race and class such as E. Franklin Frazier's The Black Bourgeoisie, as well as figures in contemporary popular culture, including in music and film--for example Sinners (2025) and the Met Gala. She also examines historical events like the Tulsa Massacre and the life of O.J. Simpson and includes commentary regarding the latest battles in the ongoing American culture war and provides some strategies for navigating what may sometimes feel like a landscape of political landmines.