Talented Tenth
By k anyanwu - Posted on May 8th, 2006
Tagged: Society
• Shared responsibility
One may point to a whole host of Black doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and entertainers and make the case that the Black community has finally “made it”; the Black community has finally achieved economic and social equality with their White counterparts. However, can Blacks afford to rely on this so-called “talented tenth” to fend for the rest of the Black community? What responsibility do educated and/or successful Blacks have to other Blacks that may not have had the same opportunities? Today it is still clear that Blacks are over-represented in low-income brackets across the nation and under-represented in institutions of higher learning and in high paying careers. Should the success of the Black community be measured in quality or quantity and who is responsible for providing the load of necessary improvements for many members of the Black community?
I think that the blacks that are in the "Talented Tenth" need to give back to the communities they came from and try to help those who are less fortunate. They also need to support HBCUs and their high schools. I think it's too many blacks who have forgotten where they have come from and feel complacent in their positions and that needs to stop.
I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him. ~Booker T. Washington