Richard Kluger's monumental "Simple Justice" reaffirms the long-held liberal contention that any analysis of the complex social relations in the United States must acknowledge the centrality of racism. Racism historically contributed to shaping of the political culture, social interactions, and legal status of groups throughout the United States. This work is of epic proportions, tracing in great detail the evolution of the history of the black struggle to overturn the 1896 "Plessy" decision which declared the fallacious, antidemocratic notion that "separate but equal" meets the test of the Constitution. In this article, the author examines the historical accounts in Kluger's book. The author observes that Kluger's analysis passes on matters which are salient to understanding the history of racism and enforced class inequality in American society. (Contains 18 footnotes.)