(reprinted in full with permission)
We are the editors of the Research/Information Portal at www.blackprogress.net, which currently features several links to reports, papers, articles, commentaries, critiques, websites/initiatives, etc. that reflect all ideological & political perspectives on topics such as: Business/Entrepreneurship/Capital; Fostering Educational Excellence; The Cosby Indictment & Call to Action; Wealth-Building/The Wealth Gap/Financial & Economic Empowerment; Etc.
We are currently compiling similar information on Social Security Reform & African Americans but have yet to locate any rigorous research/analyses (empirical or non-empirical) that examine the issue -- beyond op-eds -- by black conservative economists and policy analysts. We are therefore posting this message on black conservative/centrist blog sites to seek your help in locating such analyses. (We have located a few by "liberal" economists/analysts such as those at the end of this post.)
It would, of course, be great to have more vigorous discourse on this and other economic issues that are important to African Americans by black conservative, liberal, and moderate analysts/economists alike--discourse that is backed by solid analyses and goes beyond recitation of the talking points of the respective ideological and partisan political groups.
For example, it would have been nice to see such black analysts join the recent debate (?) between Paul Krugman & the Heritage Foundation's David C. John and William W. Beach--see: "Consider A Few Facts About African Americans and Social Security" -- http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed012805e.cfm
This brings up a larger question: Why is there no vibrant black conservative think-tank that does rigorous research & analyses on critical issues such as black entrepreneurship and market-based approaches for fostering educational and economic progress in inner-cities, for example?
Such an organization would have been an obvious prominent player in President Bush's Urban Entrepreneur Partnership initiative -- http://www.kauffman.org/news.cfm/582
-- which, interestingly, includes the National Urban League, but not a black conservative organization.
If black conservatives do not think that a black conservative think-tank that counters the liberal Joint Center is necessary (in the way that a Project 21 is in general public discourse), are there black economists/policy analysts at top conservative/libertarian think-tanks such as the Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, American Enterprise Institute, and the Hoover Institution (besides Dr. Thomas Sowell)?
If there are, we'd like to locate their publications. We have checked the websites of Dr. Sowell and Dr. Walter Williams of George Mason University and found no recent scholarly work by them on contemporary black economic development issues (entrepreneurship, wealth-building, etc.), which is perhaps understandable since they are close to retirement. And, of course, they do not have to do any work in this area just because they are black, but it would be nice to have a few black conservative intellectuals in think-tanks doing intellectually rigorous work on critical issues that impact black economic progress.
We recall that the Center for New Black Leadership was founded about 10 years ago for such a purpose, but the organization has yet to have a significant impact and appears to be inactive (the website -- http://www.cnbl.org/ -- currently has no information other than "The future home of the Centre for New Black Leadership").
Many critics of black conservatives wonder why wealthy black Republicans/conservatives, and/or the wealthy individuals and organizations that fund the big and influential think-tanks cited above, cannot finance one that focuses on African American issues.
Establishment of a think-tank that vigorously advances intellectual and policy discourse would be one way of heeding the exhortation by Black conservative & Bush supporter Robert Woodson [National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise], who reportedly noted in the May 1996 issue of Headway magazine:
"In general Black conservatives have not defined themselves in a positive manner. Too many have been reflexive "me-too" conservatives, merely echoing the views and opinions of established white conservatives and their stands against affirmative action, set-asides, and the welfare system?It is important for Black conservatives to offer positive alternatives to be originators of ideas that go beyond the bi-polar debates of the left and the right ... that Black conservatives should be less concerned about what they call themselves, but rather, be concerned how their actions define them in the eyes of everyday people, particularly their own people."
The recent Armstrong Williams debacle has only reinforced "the black-conservatives-are-sellouts stereotype", as blogger LaShawn Barber laments -- http://lashawnbarber.com/archives/2005/01/08/armstrong/#more-861
As a research/policy/business-oriented entity that promotes discourse and innovative solutions to problems, we at blackprogress.net believe that establishing a vibrant black conservative think-tank that does independent intellectual and practical, action-oriented work to foster entrepreneurship and other market-based solutions for black economic and educational progress (parental education, academic excellence, etc.) will help to destroy these stereotypes.
This will be a potent way to seize the black leadership mantle rather than simply assailing the current black leadership. Perhaps the Heritage Foundation conference on Feb 24 ("Responding to the Call: The New Black Vanguard Conference" -- http://www.heritage.org/Press/Events/ev022405a.cfm) will go beyond bashing liberal leaders (however well-deserved) and examine this and other ways.
We'd greatly appreciate any relevant information. Thank you.
editor@blackprogress.net
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Changing Social Security: The Impact on African Americans
http://www.jointcenter.org/news1/NewsDetail.php?recordID=24
The Social Security Privatization Crisis: Assessing the Impact on African
American Families. Maya Rockeymoore, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation,
January 2005
http://cbcfinc.org/pdf/CBCFSocialSecurityPrivatizationReport4.pdf
African Americans and Social Security. Why the Privatization Advocates Are
Wrong. WILLIAM E. SPRIGGS
http://www.dollarsandsense.org/1104spriggs.html
Social Security Privatization and African Americans: A Comparative Analysis.
Nwafor. Journal of Black Studies. 2005; 35: 248-266
http://jbs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/refs/35/3/248
If not sarcastic, it's *cynical* as hell..,
With "liberal" in quotation marks, and thoughts of seizing the mantle of leadership, this euro-afro-trash jump at appeasement and attention garnering in the DEmand patronage space of so-called leadership, rather than the COmand constituent-supported leadership space - is tiresome..,
Errbody wants to be a vintner, but nobody wants to do the hard Work of tilling the soil, growing the grapes, etc.., Dr. Isimbabi knows full well - or he ought to know - what kind of product he's offering as he tries to sell his wine before its time..,
Posted by: cnulan at February 24, 2005 09:17 AM"In general Black conservatives have not defined themselves in a positive manner. Too many have been reflexive "me-too" conservatives, merely echoing the views and opinions of established white conservatives and their stands against affirmative action, set-asides, and the welfare system?It is important for Black conservatives to offer positive alternatives to be originators of ideas that go beyond the bi-polar debates of the left and the right ... that Black conservatives should be less concerned about what they call themselves, but rather, be concerned how their actions define them in the eyes of everyday people, particularly their own people."
Whoooaaaa.....
I'm channelling Woodson?
No "Conservative Black think tank"?
What happened to Headway Magazine? Flush, down the tubes.
Maybe someone should hit up Scaife for some cash.
i know one black and conservative political scientist. she doesn't have the chops to write a solid analysis of social security. i am familiar with two conservative economists. neither of THEM have the chops to write a solid analysis on social security that doesn't reek with ideology. i've asked this question before--when was the last time (if ever) that thomas sowell published in a mainstream economics JOURNAL?
when i first read this i thought the blackprogress folks were being sarcastic. i'm still not sure they aren't.
Posted by: Lester Spence at February 23, 2005 11:12 PM