In the cover story, Jamal Watson reports on the gradual dismantling of race-conscious policies and the efforts of civil rights and anti-affirmative action groups to press on.

In addition, see Kendra Hamilton’s sidebar on U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ interesting justification of the Court’s ruling in the school integration cases.

The issue of race indeed continues to hover over daily life for African-Americans, and two scholars — Dr. Mary Pattillo of Northwestern University and Dr. Cathy Cohen of the University of Chicago — are shedding light on various aspects of the Black experience. In “Replacing Rhetoric With Research,� Susan E. Smith profiles these scholars, both of whom have ties to the University of Chicago.

In “The Secrets Behind Their Success,� longtime contributor Paul Ruffins takes a look at the world of for-profit universities. These institutions have experienced great success in relatively recent years, and are continuing to grow in popularity. Now, the schools that pioneered adult education are staying ahead of the curve by offering flexible course schedules and convenient locations. But, as Paul reports, there is some risk involved.

Lastly, we are coming upon the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and many Gulf Coast faculty members who had to evacuate still have not returned to their home universities; some probably never will. In “Moving Forward,� Diverse contributing editor Lydia Lum reconnects with a group of faculty members who she profiled more than a year ago to find out if some sense of normalcy has returned.

Hilary Hurd Anyso