The Price of Progressive Politics

The Welfare Rights Movement in an Era of Colorblind Racism

Through the voices of women activists in the welfare rights
movement across the United States, The Price of Progressive
Politics exposes the contemporary reality of welfare rights
politics, revealing how the language of colorblind racism undermines
this multiracial movement. Through in-depth interviews
with activists in eight organizations across the United
States, Rose Ernst presents an intersectional analysis of how
these activists understand the complexities of race, class
and gender and how such understandings have affected
their approach to their grassroots work. Engaging and accessible,
The Price of Progressive Politics offers a refreshing
examination of how those working for change grapple with
shifting racial dynamics in the United States, arguing that
organizations that fail to develop a consciousness that reflects
the reality of multiple marginalized identities ultimately
reproduce the societal dynamics they seek to change.