The idea that U.S. colleges are hotbeds of left-wing radicalism is, for the most part, pretty stupid. And it looks extra stupid when applied to economics departments. The average U.S. university economics department is radical, that's for sure, but radical to the right, not to the left.

So where do folks interested in economics go if they don't buy into econometrics, cliometrics, the Laffer curve, and all the rest of the supply-side gospel that hides its biases and assumptions under an impenetrable layer of calculus?

Many of them take to the streets. And that's what longtime community activists Meizhu Lui and Betsy Leondar-Wright do every day at United for a Fair Economy, a Boston-based nonprofit that campaigns nationally against increasing wealth and income inequality. They also spend a great deal of time and energy campaigning for what you might call economic literacy, helping people acquire the knowledge they need to understand where they, as workers and consumers, fit into the bigger picture of the national and global economy.

Their latest project is The Color of Wealth (New Press, $19.95), a highly accessible guide to the historic foundation of racial economic inequality in the United States, co-authored with several of their colleagues at the UFE.

It's true—African-Americans, Native Americans and Latinos are significantly poorer in wealth and assets than their white counterparts. Conservatives and racists (and, of course, conservative racists) would have you believe this is the cumulative effect of bad decisions made by individuals. But this assertion is based on bad math and a shallow knowledge of American history, and The Color of Wealth does a bang-up job of dismantling it, in layman's terms.

Both Lui and Leondar-Wright have a reputation for being fun and energetic speakers. Philadelphians have two opportunities to see for themselves in the coming week: a dinner, discussion and book signing at the White Dog on Monday, June 26 (Dog owner Judy Wicks is a member of the UFE-affiliated Responsible Wealth Network) and a workshop the next evening at the Friends Center.

Meizhu Lui and Betsy Leondar-Wright book signing and discussion, Mon., June 26, 6-9:30 p.m., $36 (includes dinner), White Dog Cafe, 3420 Sansom St., 215-386-9224 (pre-registration required); workshop, Tue., June 27, 5:30-8:30 p.m., free, Friends Center, 1501 Cherry St., 617-423-2148, ext. 107.