"I have a dream," Martin Luther King Jr. told a crowd of some 250,000 people at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963, "that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." For centuries, slavery and racial segregation pervaded much of America. As a result of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, however, which King helped lead, the United States outlawed segregation and enacted legislation to ensure that all Americans are treated equally. Amid these efforts, many barriers that had blocked Black advancement and opportunity in the nation fell. And yet, 60 years after King's iconic speech, many disparities between Black and white Americans continue to exist in wealth, education, employment, housing, health, and incarceration rates. The United States, some argue, must invest more in the African-American community to eliminate these historical disparities and make America the "color-blind" society King dreamed of. But others argue that focusing too much on race is wrongheaded and actually divides Americans more than it unites them. These competing views are often reflected in debates over affirmative action, critical race theory, and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Is America too obsessed with race?

Originally released by Intelligence Squared US, 2023. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on October 30, 2023.