Race, Murder and Liberal Blind Spots

One of my professors, advisors, mentors, golf partners, and friends, Jeffrey Herf, who now teaches at the University of Maryland, has published a provocative and bold article in The New Republic online. Although his scholarly work is focused on Modern Europe, Jeff is an exemplary public intellectual with a range of interests and a seriousness of purpose that should be a model to anyone who wants to engage in questions beyond the narrow range to which most academics limit themselves. This piece looks at the horrific homicide rates among African Americans in the last four decades and asks important and brave questions. I saw an early draft of the piece and gave some minor suggestons, but it is clear that Professor Herf has been thinking about this question for a long time. Read the article.