This paper introduces a collection of papers that examines the impact of affirmative action on college admission and the importance of school desegregation. The book addresses whether or not the educational value of diversity is sufficiently compelling to justify the consideration of race when making college admission decisions. This introduction examines the roots of affirmative action in the civil rights movement and subsequent federal legislation. It also highlights the 1978 Bakke case, which limited affirmative action and opened up campuses to law suits by whites, and discusses the 1996 challenge to the Bakke case in Hopwood v. Texas. It presents the story of affirmative action and civil rights by summarizing each of the 13 papers, highlighting: reaction to Hopwood v. Texas; whether or not there are grounds to legitimately treat all members of a race as disadvantaged since few, if any, characteristics are reliably linked to race; economic and political differences between groups; and how differences may affect teaching and learning. The papers suggest that student diversity can and usually does produce a broader educational experience, both in traditional learning and in preparing for jobs, professions, and citizenship in a multiracial democracy. The evidence suggests that such benefits can be significantly increased by appropriate leadership and support on campus. (Contains 2 tables and 49 references.) (SM)