Advertisement

Ogletree: Gates Arrest Shows Little Has Changed

04:40
Download Audio
Resume

Last year’s arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. set off a public firestorm, partly from a belief that his arrest was due to his color and not his actions.

But a new study, from the New England Center for Investigative Reporting, challenges the idea that racism was at play.

Among those reacting to the investigative report is Harvard Law School Professor Charles Ogletree, who acted as counsel to Gates following the arrest.

Ogletree is out with a new book, "The Presumption of Guilt: The Arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Race, Class and Crime in America," and he says the arrest brought something important to light.

"This case is as much about class as it is about race," Ogletree said. "I think there is the Harvard University professor, the sort of gown approach. And there is the working class, hard-working Cambridge police officer, Sgt. Crowley. And I think that had a big impact on the how they responded to each other on July 16 (2009) and that's why I elaborated on it in the book."

Ogletree joined WBUR to talk about his book, the Gates arrest and experiences of other African-American students and professors at Harvard.

His book hits stores June 22.

This program aired on June 17, 2010.

Headshot of Bob Oakes

Bob Oakes Senior Correspondent
Bob Oakes was a senior correspondent in the WBUR newsroom, a role he took on in 2021 after nearly three decades hosting WBUR's Morning Edition.

More…

Advertisement

More from WBUR

Listen Live
Close