W.E.B. Du Boiss The Souls of Black Folk is one of the most influential books ever published in this country. In it, Du Bois wrote that the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line, a prophecy that is as fresh and poignant today as when it first appeared in print in 1903. Now, one hundred years after The Souls of Black Folk was first published, Saving the Race reexamines the legacy of Du Bois and his color line prophecy from a modern viewpoint. The author, Rebecca Carroll, a biracial woman who was reared by white parents, not only provides her own personal perspective, but she invites eighteen well-known African Americans to share their ideas and opinions about what Du Bois's classic text means today. Lalita Tademy, authorStanley Crouch, cultural critic, novelistALelia Bundles, great-great-granddaughter of Madame C.

J. Walker, author David Graham Du Bois, stepson of W.E.B. Du Bois, writer, teacher, activistTour, novelist, contributing writer for Rolling Stone magazineJulian Bond, chairman of the board, NCPThelma Golden, chief curator and deputy director for exhibitions and programs at the Studio Museum of HarlemKathleen Cleaver, former communications secretary of the Black Panther partyVernon E. Jordan, Jr., civil rights leader and lawyer Cory Booker, former New Jersey councilman, mayoral candidate, activistJewell Jackson McCabe, founder and president of the National Coalition of 100 Black WomenDerrick Bell, professor of law, New York UniversityElizabeth Alexander, poet and writerClarence Major, author, poet, artistTerence Blanchard, horn player, film composerReverend Dr. James Forbes, senior minister of Riverside Church, New YorkPatricia Smith, poetLeAlan Jones, author The result is an insightful and illuminating collection of interviews both provocative and inspiring.

Saving the Race paints a fascinating, complicated, and colorful portrait about the souls of black folk in twenty-first century America.