Reader's Name Withheld
After reading your articles and the comments generated by them, I have to speak out as a Black Pragmatic born and raised in this country 76 years ago. You are oversimplifying the Education factor. Why do all Black remedial programs overlook the character factor when it comes to taking our place in this world? I live in the Tampa Bay area in Florida, and they've recently introduced a new letter to the three R's, it's "C" for character education, and I think it is a terrific addition. We have enough so-called college educated millionaires who wind up in jail today for the most stupid/ignorant offenses you could imagine. Just listen to the interviews of the college educated black atheletes during and after the game. Check out the financial status of our wealthy show business people during and after their careers. There's more to the problem than the lack of a college degree my friends. We need some qualified Parents to solve this problem. I and my 4 children are very capable of competing with our counterparts in all areas of importance.
Reply By: Chuck Sanford, Author, "Project 2019"
Thank you for your very meaningful comments regarding Project 2019. You may be interested to know that I have received dozens of comments from readers all across America with a similar "theme." Specifically, they first note that Project 2019 is a "great idea," or an "okay idea," or at least, "not a bad idea." They then suggest that Project 2019 will not work, or will not work as well as it could, because I have left out a particular element that they believe is crucial to the success of any endeavor to improve the state of black America.
It probably comes as no surprise that, most often, readers point out that God or religion is not a central theme of Project 2019. The "character issue," which you raise, is also high on the list. Along the same line, some readers want Project 2019 to focus more on virtue, principles, and even love. I have been reminded of the difference between "education" and "knowledge." And I have also received comments pointing out the importance of entrepreneurship, technical training, and vocational training.
Although, it may not seem to you to be the case, I am also a pragmatist and I believe that Project 2019 is built upon a foundation of pragmatism. To begin with, I believe that simplicity is a cornerstone of pragmatism and this is one reason why Project 2019 takes a focused, laser approach to solving what I believe to be the most glaring problem of black America's many and variable problems. This is not to say that all of the issues mentioned above are not essential to a healthy, happy, successful black America. However, it is to say that they are not a requirement to accomplish the "very specific goals" of Project 2019. If any of the above sounds outrageous, please consider the following points.
(1) I know many black Americans who are devout Christians and who have an incredible amount of character. They are also virtuous, principled, and are full of love. Indeed, their only problem is that they are undereducated in a society that highly values education and almost always requires a college degree in order to avoid low-paying, menial jobs.
(2) I also know many black Americans who are not particularly devout Christians and who may be somewhat lacking in terms of character. However, I also feel that their major problem is that they are undereducated in a society that highly values education and almost always requires a college degree in order to avoid low-paying, menial jobs.
With all due respect, you seem to have focused on the most negative aspects of college educated black Americans. As you put it: "We have enough so called college educated millionaires who wind up in jail today for the most stupid/ignorant offenses you could imagine." In fact, if you examine the statistics, you will see that 99.9% of the black Americans who are in jail are not there because they are college educated black Americans who lack character. They are in jail because they were uneducated, economically depressed, and, granted, many of them were lacking in character. Indeed, I personally know dozens of college educated black Americans. None of them are millionaires and none of them have wound up in jail. They are decent, hard-working, God-fearing people with plenty of character. And, because I knew many of these people before they were educated, it seems to me that education and knowledge has contributed to the development and growth of their character.
As for "college educated black athletes" and "wealthy show business people," I make it quite clear in my book that we must destroy the myth that "pursuing a career in professional sports or the entertainment field is an effective, viable, or even a reasonable way for black Americans to attain success in America." To this point, there are, in fact, 25% more members of the United States Congress than there are players in the NBA.
Finally, I would like to address your final comment: "There's more to the problem than the lack of a college degrees. We need some qualified parents to solve this problem." I agree. The only thing that I would add is, ALL OTHER THINGS BEING EQUAL, an educated, knowledgeable parent is more qualified than one that is not. From a practical standpoint, it is a lot easier to teach your children character if both parents are not required to work 16 hours a day just to pay the rent and to put food on the table.