When Class Competed with Race and Lost: An Origin Story of the Political Marginalization of the Poor

On March 1, 2024, the University of Richmond Law Review hosted a symposium entitled Vestiges of the Confederacy: Reckoning with the Legacy of the South. Professor Bertrall L. Ross II delivered the presentation transcribed below, which has been edited for clarity and cohesion. The University of Richmond Law Review was honored to host him and is thrilled to publish this transcript of his thoughtful discussion.

Bertrall L. Ross II *

* Justice Thurgood Marshall Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law.