January 2026

Outclassed by Joan C. Williams

By Richard Myers
Posted: 10/01/2025

Our next scheduled meeting will take place on Thursday, October 17 at 12:00pm Pacific (our usual time and link). 

In preparation, I’d like to share a resource I found particularly engaging: Outclassed by Joan C. Williams, Distinguished Professor of Law and Director of the Equality Action Center at UC Law San Francisco. The book is a data-rich critique of how progressive elites have grown disconnected from non-college-educated Americans, offering ways to bridge the “diploma divide” and build a more inclusive, cross-class political coalition.

I found Williams’ analysis especially compelling in how she highlights the shared values between elites and non-elites—and how differences in language and framing often obscure those commonalities. When I reached Chapter 14, I was particularly struck by its focus on race issues among the elites, which feels especially relevant to our ongoing 1619 discussions.

I contacted the author, who graciously granted permission for us to use Chapter 14 as the basis of our October discussion. A copy of this chapter is available for your reference. Please note: in the process of converting the text from the book into a computer-readable file, some small transcription errors were introduced (such as dropped letters). These are not part of the published text and do not affect readability.

I encourage everyone to read Chapter 14 ahead of the meeting—and, if you’re able, to dive into the entire book. It’s a thought-provoking work that I believe will enrich our conversation.

As always, guests are welcome. If you now anyone who is interested, please share this information with them.