Publication Feature: The Last Plantation: Racism and Resistance in the Halls of Congress
The Last Plantation: Racism and Resistance in the Halls of Congress
A REVEALING LOOK AT THE COVERT AND INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM LURKING IN THE CONGRESSIONAL WORKPLACE
Racism continues to infuse Congress’s daily practice of lawmaking and shape who obtains congressional employment. In this timely and provocative book, James Jones reveals how and why many who work in Congress call it the “Last Plantation.” He shows that even as the civil rights movement gained momentum in the 1960s and antidiscrimination laws were implemented across the nation, Congress remained exempt from federal workplace protections for decades. These exemptions institutionalized inequality in the congressional workplace well into the twenty-first century.
Combining groundbreaking research and compelling firsthand accounts from scores of congressional staffers, Jones uncovers the hidden dynamics of power, privilege, and resistance in Congress. He reveals how failures of racial representation among congressional staffers reverberate throughout the American political system and demonstrates how the absence of diverse perspectives hampers the creation of just legislation. Centering the experiences of Black workers within this complex landscape, he provides valuable insights into the problems they face, the barriers that hinder their progress, and the ways they contest entrenched inequality.
A must-read for anyone concerned about social justice and the future of our democracy, The Last Plantation exposes the mechanisms that perpetuate racial inequality in the halls of Congress and challenges us to confront and transform this unequal workplace that shapes our politics and society.
To learn more about and purchase the book, click here.
Watch "Left of Black" | Congress as the Last Plantation with Dr. James R. Jones, hosted by Mark Anthony Neal
Dr. James R. Jones, Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Sociology at Rutgers University-Newark, joins host Dr. Mark Anthony Neal on Duke University's intrepid web series on Black Studies and the Black Arts, to discuss his new book, "The Last Plantation: Racism and Resistance in the Halls of Congress," published by Princeton University Press.
Left of Black Podcast | Congress as the Last Plantation with Dr. James R. Jones
About Dr. James R. Jones
Dr. James R. Jones is Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Sociology, the inaugural director of the Sheila Y. Oliver Center for Politics and Race in America at Rutgers University Newark, and an inaugural Early Career Faculty Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice.
His research focuses on racial representation and inequality within American political workplaces. Dr. Jones examines the career experiences of Black workers to examine the interplay of race, power, and inequality within our nation’s most prominent political institutions.
Dr. Jones is the author of The Last Plantation: Racism and resistance in the halls of Congress from Princeton University Press. The title draws on the fact that members of Congress and their staff have applied this telling nickname to the legislature in order to highlight how the institution is exempt from the very policies and principles it is tasked to create and implement (including federal workplace laws). In The Last Plantation, Jones draws upon the plantation metaphor to analyze how race and racism are produced and maintained within the congressional workplace and the Capitol at large. Centering the experiences of Black workers within this complex landscape, his book provides valuable insights to demonstrate the problems they face, the barriers that hinder their progress, and the ways they contest entrenched inequality.
Dr. Jones is a leading expert on congressional staff diversity. He has authored three groundbreaking policy reports on racial representation among congressional staff. His research demonstrates how people of color are underrepresented in both top and junior staff positions on Capitol Hill. His first public policy paper documented the underrepresentation of racial minorities in top staff positions in the Senate. In 2017, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer adopted policy recommendations from this report to increase racial diversity amongst democratic staff and improve transparency in staff hiring decisions. His latest policy paper, “Who Congress Pays,” with Pay Our Interns, documents how White students are disproportionately overrepresented in paid congressional internships. In April 2021, Jones appeared before the House Committee on the Modernization of Congress to provide testimony on strategies for enhancing access to congressional internships for underrepresented groups. In recognition of his pioneering sociological research and significant contributions to public discourse, Dr. Jones was honored with the prestigious Public Sociology Award by the Eastern Sociological Society in 2024.
Dr. Jones’ research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the Dirksen Congressional Center as well as various prestigious fellowships from Columbia University, Duke University, Princeton University, and Rutgers University.
His writing has been featured in esteemed academic journals such as Du Bois Review and Sociological Forum, alongside prominent appearances in public outlets including Teen Vogue, The Daily Beast, Newsworks, and In These Times. Moreover, his research has garnered attention from major media outlets such as NPR, The Washington Post, Time, and The Atlantic.
Raised in Philadelphia, Dr. Jones is a proud member of the 264th graduating class of Central High School. He attended George Washington University, graduating cum laude with a major in Political Science and minor in Sociology and Africana Studies. He earned his PhD in Sociology from Columbia University in 2017, where he was honored with the Robert K. Merton Award for Best Dissertation and the Daniel Bell Award for Best Contribution to Sociological Research or Public Policy.
Dr. Jones resides in New York City with his husband and their beloved dog, Mrs. Carter.