The recent Los Angeles race riots exposed the depth and persistence of the race problem in the United States and symbolized the despair and hopelessness felt in North America?s cities. The key question remains: Are African-Americans making any progress towards integration into mainstream society?The Black Progress Question examines the popular responses to this issue and finds them insufficient. For too long, the analysis of black progress has been met with an unwarrented optimism. Stephen Burman presents an alternative approach, sobering in its realism, which will dispel beliefs that a solution to this problem is close at hand.