Einstein on Race and Racism

I just finished reading a book by Fred Jerome and Rodger Taylor entitled Einstein on Race and Racism. It was a fantastic read that I would recommend to anyone. Everything that I've ever heard about Einstein has been about his career in physics: struggling in school, becoming a patent clerk, doing amazing physics "thought experiments" on the side, etc. You can't study modern era physics without mentioning Einstein's postulates or E=mc^2 or theories of relativity. The subject of this book, however, seeks to open people's eyes to another side of the brilliant scientist.

As a Jew in Nazi-era Germany, Einstein knew well the harsh realities of racism. Thus when he came to Princeton in 1933 he immediately felt a connection to the black community in a town well known at that time for being socially segregated. He took walks in the streets holding the hands of young black school children, visited with his black neighbors, and otherwise treated them with kindness and respect. Jerome and Taylor do a wonderful job incorporating quotations from people who actually knew him during this period in his life. During the latter part of his life, Einstein became an active anti-racist, using his influence gained from being a renowned scientist to condemn racism on local, national, and international levels.