Book Forum 

# *Black Liberation through the Marketplace: Hope, Heartbreak, and the Promise of America*

Published By Emancipation Books • 2022 

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Date and Time 

June 16, 2022 3 - 4:30 PM EDT 

Location 

Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC 

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##### Featuring 

![m-Witcher-cropped.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2022-06/m-Witcher-cropped.jpg?itok=l1roxzC9) 

Marcus Witcher 

Assistant Professor, Huntingdon College

![Rachel Ferguson](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2024-10/rachel-ferguson-circle.jpeg?itok=_hIwa8ct) 

Rachel Ferguson 

Director of the Free Enterprise Center at Concordia University Chicago and Assistant Dean of the College of Business

[![Paul Meany headshot](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2023-07/paul-meany.jpeg?itok=gWakEIeP)](/people/paul-meany) 

[Paul Meany](/people/paul-meany)

Intellectual History Editor, Lib​er​tar​i​an​ism​.org, Cato Institute

[ 

](mailto:pmeany@cato.org) 

![ameshia-cross-cropped.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2022-06/ameshia-cross-cropped.jpg?itok=0Hv-Pjya) 

Ameshia Cross 

Activist, Political Commentator, Writer, Host

The experiences of black Americans do not fit neatly into our nation’s political culture. As the authors argue, those on the right fail to acknowledge the gravity of past injustices and rights violations, while those on the left ignore decades of failed paternalism and unintended consequences of government policy. But there is an alternative: classical liberalism, a philosophy based on free markets, individual rights, and vibrant civil society.

Exhausted by extremism on both sides, in their new book, *Black Liberation through the Marketplace: Hope, Heartbreak, and the Promise of America*, economic philosopher Rachel Ferguson and historian Marcus Witcher argue that classical liberalism provides the building blocks for a free and prosperous society for all.

Please join us at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 16, for a discussion featuring Rachel Ferguson, Marcus Witcher, Paul Meany, and Ameshia Cross.

Cato Book Forums and receptions are free of charge.

![Black-Liberation-through-the-Marketplace-cover.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/promo_block_book_cover_1x/public/2022-06/Black-Liberation-through-the-Marketplace-cover.jpg?itok=WKC_PXfp) 

##### Featured Book 

### *[Black Liberation through the Marketplace: Hope, Heartbreak, and the Promise of America](https://www.amazon.com/Black-Liberation-Through-Marketplace-Heartbreak/dp/1637583443?tag=catoinstitute-20)*

In this book, we use the classical liberal lens to ask Americans on the political right to seriously reckon with America’s deep racial pain—much of which arises from violations of rights that conservatives say they deeply value, such as property rights, freedom of contract, and the protection of the rule of law. We ask those on the left to take a hard look at the failed paternalism, and in some cases, thoroughgoing racism of past progressive policy.

[Purchase Book](https://www.amazon.com/Black-Liberation-Through-Marketplace-Heartbreak/dp/1637583443?tag=catoinstitute-20) 

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This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).