We have come a long way

John McWhorter’s thoughts on the  MLK  Memorial:

“The Rev. Martin Luther King, resurrected, would be prouder of black America than many of its leaders and thinkers. Economic disparities remain, but in 1960 nine in 10 blacks were poor, whereas today three of four blacks are not. Tracing the remaining disparities to racism becomes trickier by the year. The ‘institutional racism’ many trace these statistics to is something black people of King’s time would have considered a much more workable adversary than open bigotry and segregation. Some holdouts remain bigots, but not enough to keep Barack Obama out of the White House, and overall, racism is considered as socially embarrassing as pedophilia. King could never have predicted that this would happen so quickly. Is America ‘post-racial’? Afraid not. But is the treatment of black people in America still so transparently and grievously unjust as to make a mockery of our democratic ideals and require redress with all deliberate speed? Afraid not, again, and Dr. King would rejoice, as we should with him.” Taken from:  http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/story/2011-08-24/Other-views-Dr-King-would-rejoice/50127094/1 

I am generally off and on about John McWhorter, but I consistently praise his thoughts on black achievement–that with greater societal equality, we African Americans need to get our shit together. Now is the time for parents and young black women and men to make choices that will lead us victoriously into Canaan Land. Although there is a fight in the halls of Congress to strip social  programs (like Pell Grants, etc.) we have it the best that it has ever been. Black people have the history of Booker T, Frederick Douglass and Bethune to look to for inspiration. Vicious dogs and fire hoses aren’t the obstacle anymore.