In the United States, the term multicultural is often linked with a surface-level diversity. People of color in leadership positions are cited as examples of our move toward a society that truly values diversity. The so-called "black face in a high place" is therefore evidence of our commitment to multiculturalism. Meanwhile, the Bush administration engages people of color around the world and in some cases winds up invading and occupying their countries. And it pursues trade policies that encourage resource and labor exploitation of the global South. Social and economic justice are not connected with the prevailing view of what it means to have a multicultural society.

Angela Davis
Angela Davis is one of the iconic figures of this era. She was acquitted of conspiracy charges in 1972 after one of the most famous trials in U.S. history. She went on to become an internationally regarded scholar and writer. She is the author of many books, including "Women, Culture and Politics" and "Blues Legacies and Black Feminism." Her latest is, "Abolition Democracy." Governor Ronald Reagan of California vowed when he fired her from her position at UCLA that she would never again teach in the state system. Today, she is a tenured professor at the University of California at Santa Cruz.