When I posted the link to part I of Kilson's article a couple of weeks ago, I made it clear that I was not sanguine about his concluding prognosis. Now that I've read and reflected on Part II in which we hear one deafening silence and two modest challenges to the afrostocracy to step up; I'm even less sanguine about whatever Kilson has to say - though I found his data useful.
1. Family Structure/Poverty Problem Sphere - deafening silence (though I gave that prescription a long time ago)
2. Racist Criminal Justice Problem Sphere - afrostocrats must challenge it. Start with the War on Young Black Men I mean Drugs and leverage off the crank epidemic among poor whites and the disparate sentencing standards and voila!
3. Education Opportunity Performance Problem Sphere - afrostocrats should study it. Kilson please! Surely a Hahvahd professor can do better than that! Come study this exemplary institutional effort and consider yourself schooled on the optimal solution.
So, while I lack Kilson's bully pulpit, my faith in the creativity and capability of technocratic black autodidacts willing to step up and personally shoulder our guardian/teacher role within the community - remains unbounded.
As long as afrostocrats don't call foul on the kneejerk and racist tendency to scapegoat poor black kids/parents and and prescribe policies that lift all boats - they don't merit the title "elite". Such as they've demonstrated themselves to be, they're just entertaining 21st century "responsible negroes" with a little money.
The afrostocrats have pretty much played themselves...., you'd think that Cosby/Oprah/Diddy et al..., would've figured out - given the extent to which their commercial successes have been rooted in crossover appeal - that whatever solution the black elite is capable of proffering will have to be an all inclusive solution that leads all America forward out of its malaise. Poor white kids are struggling with educational woes in larger masses than poor black kids and until and unless we bind all our interests together, it's simply not going to get fixed. Freebooting, globalizing plutocrats love the American divided and conquered as they're so much easier to hoodwink, bamboozle, and ultimately govern.
A genuine afrostocrat would have the pride and testicular fortitude to step up and exemplify for all Americans..., and damn-well expect all Americans to follow their lead. Going forward, this will be my personal litmus test for separating 21st century responsible negroes from a 21st century black elite.