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Preface “Mr. President, are you a racist?” This seemingly unimaginable question was posed, quite often, to the president of the United States in the very fi rst year of his administration. In 2017, issues sur- rounding race and racism appeared to boil to the surface. Among one of the most shocking events to occur was the torch-carrying, white, neo-Nazi nationalist rally that took place on the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville dur- ing the month of August. Chanting, “You will not replace us,” the far-right group was met by counter-protestors who objected to the racist message and language used to draw their supporters. The protest turned deadly, when a car driven by a white nationalist supporter rammed into the peaceful counter protestors, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer, a white counter-protestor, and critically injuring many more. Condemned by politicians and civil rights and religious leaders as a march “inspired by hatred,” the president of the United States drew condemnation from leaders across the nation when he proclaimed that there was “hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides.” These are just a few of the race-related issues confront- ing twenty-first-century America. A State-by-State History of Race and Racism in the United States examines the history of race and racism in every state in the United States and the District of Columbia. Its contents are disturbing. Since the founding of our nation, race has played an essential role in the way citizens are granted opportunities for freedom, equality, social justice, and the pursuit of the American Dream. A history of Euro- pean expansion and capitalist exploitation, wrapped around the ideology of white supremacy, resulted in racial prejudice and acts of racial discrimination that hin- dered the moral and social development of the nation for many centuries. People of color have disproportionately shouldered the social burdens caused by racism and discrimination. The collection of essays in this two-volume set provide an overview, as well as in-depth discussion, on how the concept of race evolved in America and the implementation of racist policies and practices in each state. Each state chapter provides a chronology of important events, a historical narrative, and sidebars highlighting a significant event that occurred in the state, as well as a brief bio- graphical account of one or more individuals intimately involved in the race/rac- ism question during their historical era. The encyclopedia is written to provide high school students, college undergraduates, and interested nonspecial readers