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Searching for Whitopia: An Improbable Journey Into the Heart of White America

Date: October 8, 2009

Time: 6:00 PM

220 Fifth Avenue, 5th Floor
New York NY 10001

Between 2007 and 2009, Rich Benjamin, a Senior Fellow at Demos, packed his bags and embarked on a 26,909-mile journey throughout the heart of white America--some of the fastest-growing and whitest locales in the nation. Benjamin calls these enclaves "Whitopias." To learn what makes Whitopias tick, and why and how they are growing, Benjamin lived in three of them for several months apiece.

Demos, the Applied Research Center, and The Nation Institute are proud to host the New York City book launch of Searching for Whitopia: An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America. In his book, Benjamin reveals the qualities that make a Whitopia, and explores the urgent social and political implications of this startling phenomenon. The glow of the historic 2008 election, argues Benjamin, should not obscure the racial and economic segregation still vexing America. Obama's presidency, moreover, raises the stakes in a struggle between two versions of America: one that is broadly comfortable with diversity yet residentially segregated ("ObamaNation") and one that does not mind a “little ethnic food, some Asian math whizzes, or a few Mariachi dancers--as long as these trends do not overwhelm the white dominant culture” ("Whitopia").

The housing, social, lifestyle, and demographic trends Benjamin reveals are here for the long haul.  Americans now have the chance to learn about and address these developments. What will we do next?

Please join us for an exciting and timely conversation featuring Rich Benjamin and prominent journalist Eric Alterman. The discussion will be followed by a wine and cheese reception.

About the Author:

Rich Benjamin is a Senior Fellow at Demos and the author of Searching for Whitopia: An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America (2009). Rich's background is in academia, politics, and media. From 2001-2, he was Visiting Scholar at Columbia University School of Law. His scholarship has also earned professional support from Brown University and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He lectures on contemporary American politics and culture in the US and Europe. His social and political commentary is featured in newspapers nationwide, on NPR and Fox Radio, in the blogosphere, and in many scholarly venues.

Rich's public service includes serving as the founding Executive Director of Why Tuesday?, a bi-partisan grassroots campaign to increase civic participation. He also serves on the Advisory Board of The Roosevelt Institution. Rich earned his BA in political science from Wesleyan University and his PhD in Modern Thought and Literature from Stanford University. He is a member of the Authors Guild and the National Book Critics Circle.

Respondent:

Eric Alterman is a Distinguished Professor of English at Brooklyn College, City University of New York, and Professor of Journalism at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. He is also "The Liberal Media" columnist for The Nation, a fellow at The Nation Institute, a senior fellow at the World Policy Institute, and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, where he writes and edits the "Think Again" column. Alterman is a regular columnist for Moment magazine and a regular contributor to The Daily Beast. He is the author of seven books, including the national bestseller What Liberal Media? The Truth About Bias and the News, and, most recently, Why We're Liberals: A Handbook for Restoring America's Most Important Ideals.

Deemed "the most honest and incisive media critic writing today" in the National Catholic Reporter, and author of "the smartest and funniest political journal out there," in The San Francisco Chronicle, Alterman is frequent lecturer and contributor to numerous publications in the US, Europe, and Latin America. In recent years, he has also been a columnist for MSNBC.com, Worth, Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, and The Sunday Express (London), as well as a history consultant to HBO films and a senior fellow at Media Matters for America.

To RSVP for this event, click here, or contact Jinny Khanduja at jkhanduja@demos.org or 212.389.1399.

With: Rich Benjamin

Read: Searching for Whitopia