▁" c rack ▁baby " /" c rack ▁mother " ▁social ▁problem ▁in ▁the ▁media ▁and ▁public ▁policy , ▁situ ating ▁it ▁at ▁the ▁ne x us ▁of ▁the ▁abort ion ▁debate , ▁the ▁drug ▁war , ▁and ▁compet ing ▁disc ourses ▁of ▁criminal ization ▁and ▁medical ization ▁as ▁they ▁played ▁out ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 8 0 s . ▁In ▁her ▁ 2 0 0 7 ▁book , ▁Man ifest ▁Dest in ies : ▁The ▁M aking ▁of ▁the ▁Mexican ▁American ▁Race ▁( re leased ▁in ▁paper back ▁in ▁September ▁ 2 0 0 8 ), ▁Gó mez ▁exam ines ▁how ▁law ▁and ▁ra cial ▁ide ology ▁inter se cted ▁to ▁create ▁new ▁ra cial ▁groups ▁and ▁to ▁re - structure ▁the ▁turn - of - the - tw enti eth ▁century ▁ra cial ▁order ▁in ▁the ▁U . S . ▁In ▁a ▁new ▁project ▁with ▁soci ologist ▁Nancy ▁López ▁( fund ed ▁by ▁the ▁Robert ▁Wood ▁Johnson ▁Foundation ▁Center ▁for ▁Health ▁Policy ▁at ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁New ▁Mexico ), ▁she ▁will ▁explore ▁the ▁contemporary ▁legacy ▁of ▁that ▁ra cial ▁order ▁for ▁the ▁scientific ▁study ▁of ▁" race "; ▁how ▁has ▁the ▁right ' s ▁co - opt ation ▁of ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁race ▁is ▁soci ally ▁constructed ▁promoted ▁the ▁reign ing ▁color - bl ind ▁ide ology ▁and ▁what ▁does ▁that ▁mean ▁for ▁how ▁sch ol ars ▁and ▁polic ym akers ▁oper ational ize ▁race ? ▁ ▁Gó mez ▁is ▁active ▁in ▁several ▁national ▁scholar ly ▁organizations , ▁including