Rich Benjamin, Ph.D. is an astute commentator on politics, society, and current affairs, whose wholly original commentary enlightens and entertains audiences. A Senior Fellow at Demos, one of the most highly regarded non-partisan, multi-issue think tanks in the nation, he is the author of Searching for Whitopia: An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America (Hyperion). His social and political commentary is featured on television and radio, in major newspapers nationwide, in the blogosphere, and in scholarly venues. His scholarship has earned professional support from Brown University and the National Endowment for the Humanities. A sought after speaker, he lectures on contemporary American politics and culture in the U.S. and Europe and has spoken at esteemed venues such as University of Pennsylvania Law School, Stockholm University, Sweden, the Fulbright Program/Institute for International Education, Brown University, the Exeter Academy, Seattle's Town Hall, and California's Commonwealth Club.
Americans greeted President Obama's election as proof of a post-racial era, but a disturbing trend indicates that the country is as segregated now as it was in the 1970s - and the problem is growing. As non-white populations increase in cities and suburbs, whites are moving to predominately white small towns and exurban areas. Benjamin spent two years living in and studying the fastest-growing and whitest communities in the nation to find out why people are seeking Whitopia. He found that while interpersonal racism is declining, structural racism - institutional policies and behaviors that perpetuate racial segregation and inequality - is on the rise. In Searching for Whitopia and in his talks he reveals the social and political implications of this startling phenomenon.
Benjamin defines Whitopia ("Why-TOH-pee-uh") as being whiter than the nation, its region, and its state. Its population has grown at least 6 percent since 2000, and the majority of that growth - usually more than 90 percent - is from white migrants. Searching for Whitopia chronicles Benjamin's experiences while living in St. George, Utah, and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho - which posted the largest white growth rates in the country between 2000 and 2004 - and in Forsyth County, Georgia, an overwhelmingly white exurb of a very diverse city (Atlanta). Benjamin also spent time in Whitopias ranging from Carnegie Hill, a Whitopia within New York City, to Warren County, Ohio.
To learn what makes these communities tick, Benjamin immersed himself in their civic and social life. He attended the meetings of adult prayer groups, county planning and zoning boards, smart growth organizations, local Democratic and Republican clubs, and grassroots groups like the Citizens Council Against Illegal Immigration and the Utah Minute Men. He shadowed real estate insiders and law enforcement officials. He hosted and attended luncheons and dinner parties. He became an avid golfer.
Most Whitopians Benjamin encountered were not explicitly drawn to their community because of its whiteness. Rather the whiteness implied other qualities: higher property values, neighborliness, safety, and the social comfort of homogeneity. Searching for Whitopiareveals that these qualities are subconsciously inseparable from race and class in many whites' minds. As Kirkus Reviews notes, "The author's experiences in Whitopia were surprisingly pleasant. . . . But Benjamin is clear in his conclusion that this trend is not healthy for either white or minority communities. Ideally, he writes, each group should thrive on . . . the influence of the other groups. Already, white communities are suffering from problems like unchecked sprawl and bad schools, and low-income minority groups are also losing access to the social capital of middle-class groups."
Benjamin warns that Americans cannot allow the historic 2008 presidential election to obscure our awareness of the country's growing racial and economic segregation. Obama's presidency, moreover, raises the stakes in a struggle between two versions of America: ObamaNation, which is socially comfortable with diversity yet residentially segregated, and Whitopia, which tolerates ethnic food, Asian math whizzes, and Mariachi dancers as long as they do not overwhelm the dominant white culture. Searching for Whitopia explains a conundrum burdening our democracy: the election of a black president by a segregated people.
Among the topics Benjamin can discuss:
- Why white people are increasingly choosing to live in predominantly white communities
- How structural racism in general and racial segregation in particular impede the democratic process
- His experience as the first black man to attend a three-day retreat with the religious arm of Aryan Nations, the white separatist group
- How anti-immigration fears play into racial segregation
- How a Whitopia can hatch and flourish in the middle of a racially diverse city
- Do you live in a Whitopia? Searching for Whitopia is the only single source to compile and identify the nation's whitest, "best place to live" communities: 286 U.S. counties and 39 metropolitan areas in all.
Benjamin's background is in academia, politics, and media. He has held teaching and research positions at Stanford University, Brown University, and the Columbia University School of Law. His public service includes serving as the founding Executive Director of Why Tuesday?, a bi-partisan grassroots campaign to increase civic participation. He also serves on the Advisory Board of The Roosevelt Institution.
Benjamin earned his BA in political science from Wesleyan University and his PhD in Modern Thought and Literature from Stanford University. He is a member of the Authors Guild and the National Book Critics Circle. Benjamin lives in New York City.
Praise for Rich Benjamin and Searching for Whitopia:
"Searching for Whitopia is a daring feat of 21st Century exploration that will have you laughing and shuddering at the same time."
-- Barbara Ehrenreich, best-selling author, Nickel and Dimed
"A journey through the whitest communities of America that is bound to be thought-provoking, especially when the voyager is as observant and articulate as Rich Benjamin. A very entertaining read with a message worth pondering."
-- Robert D. Putnam, best-selling author, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, and the Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy, Harvard University
"An essential tool in questioning, appreciating, and better understanding these most historic times. As we move forward in a brand-new America, Rich Benjamin's Searching for Whitopia gives us clues as to how our population might resettle and regroup, on our way to becoming a more (or less) perfect union."
-- Edwidge Danticat, author of Breath, Eyes, Memory and Brother, I'm Dying and "Mac Arthur Genius"
"A courageous book that holds a mirror up to our country. The reflection is one we can no longer afford to ignore."
-- David Sirota, author, syndicated columnist
"Searching for Whitopia will be a major publication, widely read and discussed. Benjamin's on-the-ground reporting will have a decisive impact on public awareness. Its influence is likely to be enduring, especially since the trend he is describing is far from mature."
-- Andrew Ross, Professor and Chair, Department of Social and Cultural Analysis, New York University, author of The Celebration Chronicles
"The revelatory chapters about New York City made me want to cry. Generous and understanding to all of its subjects, Searching for Whitopia is a eulogy for an unsustainable lifestyle that flies in the face of a changing America."
-- Christian Lander, blogger and author, Stuff White People Like
"The author's experiences in Whitopia were surprisingly pleasant. . . . But Benjamin is clear in his conclusion that this trend is not healthy for either white or minority communities. Ideally, he writes, each group should thrive on . . . the influence of the other groups. Already, white communities are suffering from problems like unchecked sprawl and bad schools, and low-income minority groups are also losing access to the social capital of middle-class groups."
-- Kirkus Reviews
"Benjamin examines the history, politics, economics, and culture of race and class as seen in the growth of these 'whitopias,' racially and therefore socioeconomically exclusive communities from the exurb St. George, Utah, to . . . Carnegie Hill in Manhattan. . . . A thoroughly engaging and eye-opening look at an urgent social issue." -- Booklist (starred review)