Bell believes that racism reinforces white supremacy and allows whites to maintain the overwhelming control of power. The greater power of white people gives little incentive to tackle racism. ‘Interest convergence’ occurs only when there is an incentive for white people to advocate race equality. Bell states that ‘the interest of blacks in achieving race equality will only be addressed when it converges with the interests of white’ (Bell, 1980; 523).

The signature example of interest convergence is Brown v. Board of Education, which Bell argued only happened because it advanced white interests. White people’s interest in desegregation in this case raised the nation's profile with the world during the Cold War. As soon as interest waned the enforcement of civil rights was decreased, and segregation was sanctioned for decades (Shih, 2017).

Interest convergence is the principle theory in CRT (Critical Race Theory). The term coined by Bell in 1980 refers to the theory that the majority will only accommodate racial equality with the minority when the interests of the two align. As Bell says, “The interest of [black people] in achieving racial equality will be accommodated only when it converges with the interests of [white people]” (1980 pg,523). This has been proven to be true by the historical challenges that society has faced in the fight for racial equality. Even though mercy, sympathy and developing standards of societal norms amounted to little in the view of education and the socio-political climate, Delgado & Stefancic  (2001, pg18) state that “any advances for [black people] always coincided with changing economic conditions and the self-interest of elite [white people].” 

Reference:

Rollock, N. and Gillborn, D. (2011) Critical Race Theory (CRT), British Educational Research Association online resource. Available online at: [https://www.bera.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Critical-Race-Theory-CRT-.pdf] Last accessed [04/08/2020]. 

Bell, D. (1980) Brown vs Board of Education and the interest convergence dilemma. Harvard Law Review, 98, 518-533. (Reference has been hyperlinked to document which I was granted access to via Open Athens)

Delgado, R. & Stefancic, J. (2001) Critical Race Theory: An Introduction. New York: New York University Press. 

 

Hughes, S., Noblit, G., Cleveland, D., n.d. Derrick Bell’s post-Brown moves toward critical race theory. Race Ethnicity and Education 16, 442–469.

 

Milner, H., 2008. Critical Race Theory and Interest Convergence as Analytic Tools in Teacher Education Policies and Practices. Journal of Teacher Education, 59(4), pp.332-346.