Racism, for decades, has and continues to permeate throughout the United States. It is a social problem that scholars and activists have battled for and about for many years. They have searched for solutions, marched, and practiced many other resistance tactics. However, the problem has not demolished. It is deeply embedded in our institutions, laws and practices. Blacks and other people of color have suffered discrimination and prejudice in many facets of their lives. The majority group, namely whites, have controlled all aspects of the social structure. WEB Dubois, wrote in 1907 that the principal problem of the 20th century would be the color line. In a great sense, he was correct. .
Derrick Bell, in his book, Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism agrees with DuBois and continues to examine racism, it's effects, and how it's permanence permeates society in the 21st century. .
In Faces at the Bottom of the Well, Bell uses stories, involving fictional characters and settings to unfold his thesis. These stories are used to recite the history of racial oppression. His stories are written in an interesting style, often leaving the reader wondering if the events he describes actually took place in history. He also argues that racism is integral to maintaining the established social, economic and political order of our society. It is so deeply entrenched in our identity as Americans that overcoming it would be virtually impossible. .
Functionalist theorists, in a sense would agree with Bell. Functionalist theory examines the fact that racism and discrimination serve as functions and they benefit society, though the legacy of hatred that slavery bequeathed is a dysfunctional one. It would appear that the high costs of discrimination would lead to its elimination, but the fact is, and Bell would agree, racism remains a fact of life in the United States. Bell, on the other hand does not seem to search for benefits or functions of racism, as functionalists do.