1995 seems a long time ago, but the provocation for this classic text’s title could not be more current. For those who may not remember (or who were not yet born), on March 3, 1991, an African American man named Rodney King was arrested following a high-speed chase through Los Angeles. He was ordered out of the car and then beaten and kicked by four police officers who were later charged with excessive use of force. More than a dozen additional officers stood by and watched while a bystander videotaped the entire ordeal. Sound familiar? One key difference between this incident and the one that killed George Floyd in 2020 is that Rodney King lived, and it is his words that grace the cover of the book we are commemorating 30 years after it was first published.

I don’t know whether it was the very day of Rodney King’s beating, or the day of the officers’ acquittals a year later, or one of the many days of continued police brutality and wreckage of South Los Angeles that ensued—I don’t know which of these moments inspired Paula D. McClain and (originally) Joseph Stewart Jr., to set upon the task of proposing a path-breaking book about the incident and its ramifications, but I do know that we at Westview Press at the time jumped at the opportunity to publish it.

Perhaps it was “none of the above.” According to the preface to the first edition of the book, the proposal emerged from a 1992 APSA meeting between the authors, ostensibly to read panel papers together but quickly shifting to a discussion of the difficulties of teaching of what was then termed a “Minority Politics” course. The meeting began over wine and ended with what the authors called a “prospectus from a bottle,” ultimately to become a best-selling entry in L. Sandy Maisel’s budding “Dilemmas in American Politics” series.

Getting from the 1991 assault of Rodney King, to the 1992 APSA meeting between the authors, to the 1995 publication of the first edition of “Can We All Get Along?” was an experience filled with epiphanies and enlightenment. First, there was getting an accurate quote from Rodney King’s public appeal to stop the riots his beating sparked. Frequently misquoted as “Why can’t we all just get along?”, a dive into the news stories of the day demonstrated that King’s words were actually more plaintive and ultimately more positive in framing and in tone.

But that was just the opening gambit; this was not to be a book about a particular racist incident no matter how egregious and compelling. The authors’ ambitions were no less than to show the sweep of American history and political philosophy in the context of racial and ethnic relations from the founding of the Republic to the current moment, whether in 1995 or today. And, in keeping with the spirit of the series, the authors further extended their purview to elucidate two key dilemmas posed by “minority politics,” then and now.

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The dilemmas framed by the authors may be summarized this way: One, how do we reconcile the democratic and egalitarian aspirations of the US Constitution with the undemocratic and unequal treatment of citizens based on the color of their skin? And two, what is the better way for minority groups to deal with each other and with the white majority—conflict or cooperation/coalition-building? These dilemmas persist even as the white majority shrinks and “minority” groups grow and flourish.

The groups the authors focus on are African Americans, American Indians, Latinos (or Latinx), and Asian Americans. The authors take great pains to paint the differences and distinctions within each of these groups even as they demonstrate their shared interests and identities. From the first edition of the book to the most recent, the authors (including Jessica Carew on the seventh edition) have tracked the demographic dynamics of these groups, driving old divisions and new dilemmas as they unfold from one generation to the next.

So many lessons emerged in the process of writing and publishing “Can We All Get Along?”. We learned—for some of us for the first time—why “Native American” is not the preferred way to refer to American Indian groups, going all the way back to the nativist movement of the late 1800s which was steeped in white supremacy. We learned of constitutional questions beyond the issue of slavery: citizenship and voting rights, once thought to be settled law, are now on the political chopping block once again. And we see how coalition-building between and among these groups continues to be as challenging as it is rewarding in political effect.

In later editions, we are introduced to the concept of intersectionality and shown how race and ethnicity interact with sex and gender, class, ability, and even age and geography, to compound the effects of discrimination and inequality. Same sex relationships, transgender and non-binary identities, and a host of additional emergent social phenomena are factored into the original focus and analysis of the book.

In an era of existential threats to the values of diversity, equality, and inclusion, “Can We All Get Along?” continues to be an indispensable resource for students, teachers, administrators, and anyone seeking a better understanding not only of race and ethnic conflict, but also contemporary politics writ large. How DEI became a dirty acronym, why immigration became election Topic A, and who are key targets for hiring and firing in the new administration—all and more are encompassed by a book now 30 years old and yet as relevant as the latest breaking news.

“Can We All Get Along?” was just the first of many projects that Paula McClain and I collaborated on over the course of the past 30 years. In addition to her service on the Editorial Board of the “Dilemmas in American Politics” series, Paula edited her own series for Westview, Rowman & Littlefield, Paradigm, and Routledge publishers including the innovative “Spectrum Series” and most recently, “Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in Politics and Policy.” Then there was her pathbreaking textbook, American Government in Black and White (with Steven Tauber), originally published by Paradigm Publishers and now in its seventh edition with Oxford University Press. “Can We All Get Along?” may have been “just” the first of these collaborations, but arguably the most important—hence this justifiably monumental celebration.

I am so grateful to Paula for our deeply meaningful association over such a long period—now rather rare in the world of publishing as it has evolved. She has taught me so many things I cannot enumerate, but among the ones I can: What black girls and white girls can and cannot share, the blessings of adoption, and how the very nicest places will substitute a black linen napkin for white without asking–just by paying attention.

Thank you, Paula, for all of this and more. ■