No Clue

One of the barriers to overcoming the racial divide that persists in contemporary times is the pervasive belief among many in society that, yes, there was racial injustice in the past, but that was long ago, and therefore they have no responsibility for, or role in, any remedies for that injustice today. This book seeks to give individuals a fact-based foundation—an overview, not an encyclopedia. Furthermore, to create a more civilized society we need to deal with controversial historic events and figures. As an example, the book includes a short chapter that addresses attempts to honor Confederate leaders. Oliver W. Hill suggested that we attempt to do our part to nourish a renaissance (a moral revival!) in human relationships so that human earthlings (people living on the planet earth) can live through this century in a more peaceful and joyous manner. In sum, this book seeks truth and reconciliation through learning to love your neighbor as yourself. In this way, we can fulfill the late Oliver Hill's vision as well as that of other Freedom Fighters.

This study offers a splendid exposition of the muddles of white American affirmative action—as Professor Hill notes in his arresting Preface, the book is constructive, and instructive, cultivating "the sense that in this long history of racial (and gender) discrimination in this country, we are all inextricably bound together, and that we all have a part to play in coming up with solutions"—this for South Africans, no less than for Americans.
— Edwin Cameron, Chancellor of Stellenbosch University and Retired Justice South African Constitutional Court

Dr. Stubbs' work is a masterpiece exposing the bias in our laws and Constitution in favor of privileged white males. He gives a detailed account of the formation of our laws and the biased interpretation throughout the centuries. Most importantly, Dr. Stubbs lays out the corrective action needed to create a free and just society for all people by retelling history from all perspectives and uniting our society in love.

— Rev. Dr. Emanuel C. Harris

The book is a comprehensive documentation of the true history and practices of one of the worst forms of wicked and unfair treatment of human beings by fellow human beings for economic power and domination under the guise of the color of the human race that has ever occurred in the history the world, which lasted for about 400 years. For the proper understanding of the structure of the American society, from economic to social order and the governance system, this book is a must read for all.

— Professor Kwame Frimpong, Founding Dean of GIMPA Law School (Accra, Ghana); Founding Dean of UPSA Faculty of Law (Accra, Ghana)

No Clue, by Jonathan Stubbs and Oliver Hill, is an ambitious, comprehensive, yet compact book that demonstrates clearly the huge economic, social, and educational advantages white people have created for themselves through the law throughout American history. As the authors show, these advantages continue into the present, despite some small progress in small areas. From the colonies to the Constitution to the present, American law has been written almost entirely by white men mostly for their own benefit. Slave codes legalized the forced, unpaid labor of enslaved persons, and violence against them if they sought escape into freedom. Law facilitated the theft of native lands and their redistribution to white people. Racist administration of New Deal–era law resulted in much of today's racial wealth gap. The authors make excellent use of legal history to demonstrate these and many more examples of legal preferences for whites that have built the racial disparities that we observe today. Despite all the evidence, most white Americans have no clue about how law and power have been used to create their well-being at the expense of others. For these reasons, the authors have written this excellent book. We need this book to correct the record and to provide an evidentiary basis for why affirmative action is as necessary today as it has ever been. The authors write with hope and optimism that the story they tell will help others understand the need for remedial action in response to white racism.

— Juan F. Perea, Curt and Linda Rodin Professor of Law and Social Justice, Loyola University Chicago School of Law