Richard & Leah Rothstein

Richard Rothstein is the co-author of “JUST ACTION: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law” and author of “THE COLOR OF LAW: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America.” He also writes a regular column to which you can subscribe for free at his substack.

He is a Distinguished Fellow of the Economic Policy Institute, and Senior Fellow (Emeritus) of the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He is the author of many other articles and books on race and education, which can be found at his web page at the Economic Policy Institute.

Leah Rothstein is co-author, with Richard Rothstein, of "Just Action," a sequel to "The Color of Law." While in "The Color of Law," Mr. Rothstein described how government policy created residential segregation, "Just Action" will describe how local community groups can begin to redress the wrongs of segregation.

Ms. Rothstein has worked on public policy and community change, from the grassroots to the halls of government. She has led the Alameda and San Francisco probation departments’ research on reforming community corrections policy and practice to be focused on rehabilitation, not punishment.

She has been a consultant to nonprofit housing developers, cities and counties, redevelopment agencies, and private firms on community development and affordable housing policy, practice, and finance. Her policy work is informed by her years as a labor and community organizer, working on issues such as housing, environmental justice, workplace safety, and youth leadership.