Who is the greatest African American of the past hundred years? Who was the most prophetic about civil rights concerns for the twenty-first century? Not Martin Luther King. I would have to rank him second or third. The greatest and most prophetic figure was Booker T. Washington. To see why, we have to revisit an early twentieth-century debate between Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. Although the debate focused on black Americans, it is relevant to the question of how any group starting out at the bottom can advance in society.
DuBois, a distinguished scholar and co-founder of the civil rights organization NAACP, argued that blacks in America face one big problem, and it is racism. Washington, who was born a slave but went on to become head of the Tuskegee Institute, countered that blacks face two big problems. One is racism, he conceded. The other, he said, is African American cultural disadvantage. Washington contended that black crime rates were too high, black savings rates were too low, there were too many broken families, blacks did not have enough respect for educational achievement, and so on.
DuBois insisted that these problems, if they existed, were due to the legacy of slavery and racism. Washington did not entirely disagree, but he insisted that, whatever their source, these cultural problems demanded attention. What is the point of having rights, Washington said, without the ability to exercise those rights and compete effectively with other groups? To put the matter in contemporary terms, there is little benefit in having a right to a job at Microsoft if you don't have the skills to get and perform the job. Washington further implied that if these cultural deficiencies were not remedied, they would help to strengthen racism by giving it an empirical foundation.
The civil rights movement, led by the NAACP and later Martin Luther King, fought for decades to implement the DuBois program and secure basic rights for black Americans. This was a necessary campaign, and ultimately it was successful. The laws were changed, and blacks achieved their goal of legal equality and full citizenship. Other minorities (and I count myself in this group) also benefited from the doors that King and his fellow activists opened. Obviously issues of enforcement remain, but by the late 1960s the early civil rights agenda represented by DuBois and King had been largely achieved. At this crucial juncture, the civil rights movement should have moved to embrace the Booker T. Washington agenda.
Unfortunately this didn't happen. It still hasn't happened. Even today Jesse Jackson and the NAACP continue (in the famous words of Frederick Douglass) to "agitate, agitate, agitate" for black progress. But now there are hardly any Bull Connors and Southern segregationists to fight, and so the activists are reduced to fighting "covert racism" and "institutional racism" and "racism that has gone underground" and basically racism that is only visible to them and to no one else. Most significant, these fights do little to help the blacks who are the poorest, the group that sociologist William Julius Wilson termed "the truly disadvantaged."
Meanwhile, there is another group that is following the Booker T. Washington strategy, and that is the nonwhite immigrants. I don't just mean the Koreans and the Asian Indians; I also mean black immigrants--the West Indians, the Haitians, the Nigerians, and so on. All are darker in complexion than African Americans, and yet racism does not seem to stop them. The immigrants know that racism today is no longer systematic, it is episodic, and they are able to find ways to navigate around its obstacles. Even immigrants who start out at the very bottom have shown that they are make rapid gains. These groups are surging ahead of African Americans and claiming the American dream for themselves. West Indians, for instance, have established a strong business and professional community and have achieved income parity with whites.
How is this possible? The nonwhite immigrants don't spend a lot of time meditating about the hardships of the past, nor do they blame their circumstances on society. They recognize that education and entrepreneurship are the fastest ladders to success in America. They push their children to study, so that they will be admitted to Berkeley and MIT, and they pool their resources and set up small businesses, so that they can make some money and move to the suburbs.
Thus we find that any group trying to move up in America is confronted with two possible strategies--the DuBois strategy and the Washington strategy---and it is an empirical question as to which one works better. A century ago, when segregation was still the rule, clearly the DuBois strategy was better. In this sense, Booker T. Washington was wrong during his day. But today it's clear that the man was ahead of his time. So far the evidence is overwhelming that the immigrant approach of assimilating to the cultural strategies of success is vastly better for group uplift than the tired old strategy of "agitate, agitate, agitate."
Martin Luther King nobly led the first phase of the struggle, but he only dimly saw the next stage. At the time of his death King was peddling all kinds of impractical schemes for sharing the wealth and he also became unnecessarily involved in the anti-Vietnam movement which diluted his currency as a civil rights leader. Even so, there were moments when King was prescient about the future. At one point he said that ultimately every man must write with his own hand the charter of his emancipation proclamation. I take him to mean that we all have the right to be treated equally under the law. We have this right, but we don't have any more rights than this. What we do with our rights, what we make of ourselves, the script that we write of our own lives, this finally is up to us.
Postscript: This article has been loosely adapted from my book What's So Great About America. The issues it raises are exhaustively treated in one of my earlier books, The End of Racism.
Reader Comments ( Page 5 of 40)
61. good evening,
now the post tonight have been remarkable. here DD does a superb job of a gnawing question that america struggles with, that being that racism. i think martin luther king would be embarrassed by the shrill noise the likes of al sharpton and jessee jackson have done to the black community.
if you truly want to read a great book about blacks in our culture today you must read "freakonmics" by steven levitt. it is an eye opening book. perhaps controversial but interesting.
now true to form instead of the atheist sticking to the subject matter they jump into UFO's pretty predictable really.
shows to what is really important since perhaps UFO's may be the only chance the atheist have towards another life or their fate-filled demise here on earth. i have to concede were i an atheist i would strongly consider catching the next train out of here. things are going ot get pretty hot. no wonder you guys are trekkies
brian at 10:10PM on Jan 19th 2008
62.
Jamie,
I'm sure you have no friends, including atheists with that stupid comment.
What's the matter, don't you have something smart to say?
Its always about the end with you fundamentals can't you come up with something new, I mean you've overdone it with the little devil will poke ya in the ass for all eternity shit!
Thank goodness your kind is dying off.......
goddess1prevail at 10:16PM on Jan 19th 2008
63. rick,
its my view that its liberals who want to keep blacks right where they are. dependant on the goverment dole so they can control them with the purse string. you liberals only give the illusion of boing good. underneath it sullied greed. you want to take form the haves and give to the have nots AND call yourselves generous!!! thats being an imposter, its balderdash,poppycock, bah-humbug!!
i can say this with certainty, racism does not serve the white community today in any way, shape, form or fashion.
brian at 10:15PM on Jan 19th 2008
64. you want to take form the haves and give to the have nots AND call yourselves generous!!! thats being an imposter, its balderdash,poppycock, bah-humbug!!
-------------------------------------
No, that's being Robin Hood! And as I recall, he was considered a good person for that behavior.
Are you the Sheriff of Knownothingham?
The bah humbug suits you, though.
Godless Heathen Brian at 11:47PM on Jan 19th 2008
65. Nicholas said "Dr Martin Luther King was a very religous man. Most of you must hate that about him."
goddess1prevail said “Why would that be Nicholas?
Martin Luther King did much to help the African American community, he got killed over it. He never forced religious beliefs on anyone. He only demanded civil rights for all so there would be no reason to hate him.”
But MLK in his “I Have a Dream” speech said:
“When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"”
If he didn’t push his religious beliefs on people I don’t know who did. And thank God he did.
Then you have the likes of William Hayes who has stated multiple times that he “respects no christian”, which would include a great man like MLK. William gets alot of support from other atheists here so you can see how someone would get the impression that atheists would just rather that MLK were a deist or something, anything, other than a Christian.
bigTuna at 12:25AM on Jan 20th 2008
66. Leave it to Dinesh to spoil a perfectly good holiday. Remind me not to ever invite this guy to a party. Or a funeral, for that matter. Can you imagine him giving a eulogy?
He gives short shrift to the enormous achievements of King and the others who fought, suffered and died with him. These efforts were met with massive resistance - fire houses, police dogs, mob violence, shootings, church bombings and the like. A number of people, including King, gave their lives for this effort. A little more respect please, Dinesh.
The native-born African American population is a much more diverse than the broad brush portrayal here. King's efforts allowed for enormous progress in the black community - economically, politically. In every aspect of life. Why not highlight some of them?
If you had focused on King's achievements and then focused on those who have done well and the immigrant community as examples for others, that would have been an interesting column.
Have a little respect for the dead, Dinesh. Save all this for another time. Leave us alone so we can celebrate what King achieved in peace.
Knott A. Dinesh Fan at 12:50AM on Jan 20th 2008
67. goddess1prevail,
every lifes valuable
What about abortion? You liberals are totally confusing!
Jerry at 12:53AM on Jan 20th 2008
68. I don't think it's fair to name THE GREATEST in a general term. What about putting them in categories? The greatest in civil rights; The greatest in medicine; science; education; etc., because there were and many great African American contributors, not only to their own cause, but for the world.
And I know a lot of white people who either won't better themselves or unable financially to get the education they need for better opportunities.
But DD is right about others who come to America and have found success through entrepreneurship. They were determined to make it and they are making it.
DENA at 12:59AM on Jan 20th 2008
69. goddess1prevail
(every life is valuable "no exceptions")
sorry I left out the no exception part.
You liberals are more than totally confusing!
Jerry at 1:01AM on Jan 20th 2008
70. I agree with goddess and gshort-100%.
First, let's not forget that Dinesh has been blatantly opposing multiculturalism for years, because he feels that it undermines the superiority of AMERICAN culture.
I am sure we all remember statements like the following from some of Dinesh's writings:
"…it seems unrealistic, bordering on the surreal, to imagine underclass blacks with their gold chains, limping walk, obscene language and arsenal of weapons doing nine-to-five jobs at Procter and Gamble or the State Department."
Dinesh is a selective racist and he is forgetting that his own race has not been subjected to slavery in this country, so there is no stigma of inferiority attached to it. Stating under the law doesn't mean that it has registered in the minds of the people.
MLK didn't make it to the #1 spot on Dinesh's list, because Dinesh neither believes in equality, nor tolerance, nor peaceful conflict resolution. "Agitate, agitate, agitate" then must be D'Souzas preferred method.
emma at 1:05AM on Jan 20th 2008
71. i can say this with certainty, racism does not serve the white community today in any way, shape, form or fashion.
brian at 10:15PM on Jan 19th 2008
xxx
neither does your paranoia about the nonexistent army of atheists.
Neither did your foxfart about democratic oppression of blacks. Most of my grandkids and step grandkids are of mixed race. You know what they think of your kind and why. Drink up.
Clif Kuplen at 1:14AM on Jan 20th 2008
72. These efforts were met with massive resistance - fire houses, police dogs, mob violence, shootings, church bombings and the like. A number of people, including King, gave their lives for this effort. A little more respect please, Dinesh.
xxx
hear hear. Today there are black ceos, black legislators, generals, a black man who may even become president. That's not the whole story by any means, but Martin's death along with the others put that into high gear.
I remember 1968 because that year I was playing music full time with two black guys in the deep south. Trust me when I say things have gotten better.
Clif Kuplen at 1:23AM on Jan 20th 2008
73. brian says, "you want to take form the haves and give to the have nots..."
It's called an economy(write that down, brian.) The money circulates. That way, it doesn't end up with a couple of idiots sitting on it all like some stupid game of Monopoly, wondering why a)it's worthless now! b)everybody hates them! c)the world has become a prison keeping the poor out and the rich in!....
.... there's probably 'e' through 'z' too.. but if you can't think of ONE reason why you shouldn't be a greedy bastard... there is probably nothing that I could say that would shift your tiny, evil heart.
not-pboyfloyd at 1:39AM on Jan 20th 2008
74. we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"”
If he didn’t push his religious beliefs on people I don’t know who did. And thank God he did.
xxxx
he had a dream and closed with a uniting statement that encompassed some enviable onomatopoetic rhythm that brought the classicism to his statement.
He was a preacher and orator and that was his gift, the one that enabled his gift to humanity.
He omitted muslims and buddhists and non believers and yellow men and handicapped and on and on but it was an oration, not doctrinal and immune to esjudem generis to mine some sort of intent.
Now how the hell is stating his dream of harmony and singing an old negro spiritual, and I know a few, 'pushing?' I never once felt pushed in any way shape or form by that and I seriously doubt ANYONE was. You're not dealing with some organization with bylaws or commandments.
Trying to force bioligists to teach comparitive religion is 'pushing'.
Forbidding gays to marry or outlawing life saving research on medical waste is pushing.
In general, people of unstated religious views are far more tolerant of the faithful unless they push in ways I described. Dr. King never did that to my knowledge.
xxxxx
Then you have the likes of William Hayes who has stated multiple times that he “respects no christian”, which would include a great man like MLK. William gets alot of support from other atheists here so you can see how someone would get the impression that atheists would just rather that MLK were a deist or something, anything, other than a Christian.
xxx
that comes from projecting your need to adhere to dogma on those who don't have such a need to conform to anything. William can believe what he wants and what's it to me? I agree with him on some things, some maybe a little, mabye not.
Hays may or may not think King was deluded regarding religion but a great man otherwise as I do, or he may not. We aren't in some organization that has beliefs we have to adhere to - quite the opposite.
My interest in Dr. King's profession other than as a civil rights mover and shaker is nil. He was reputedly a philanderer too, and who gives a shit.
When there aren't two of us who share the same viewpoint other than we aren't interested in your religion, there isn't much expectation of consistency for exactly that reason.
It's not like 'atheists' are part of any organization except in the minds of those who can't envision anything unrelated to their dogma and see us to some extent or more as enemies and organized against religion.
And because of that, as I said, we tend to be much more tolerant.
Clif Kuplen at 1:49AM on Jan 20th 2008
75. “Now how the hell is stating his dream of harmony and singing an old negro spiritual, and I know a few, 'pushing?' I never once felt pushed in any way shape or form by that and I seriously doubt ANYONE was.”
That’s because you agreed with him. Now let someone give you that same speech in support of legislation to protect the life of unborn humans and I’d bet money their beliefs become an issue.
And I’m guessing you know that his religious references went beyond old negro spirituals. I picked that quote because it was from his best known speech, but there are plenty of others:
“Was not Jesus an extremist for love -- "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you."”
“I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the eighth century prophets left their little villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns; and just as the Apostle Paul left his little village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to practically every hamlet and city of the Graeco-Roman world, I too am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my particular home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.”
“A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of Saint Thomas Aquinas, an unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal and natural law.”
The spiritual component of his message was clear, freedom belongs to “all God’s children”. He was a Christian preacher Clif, this wasn’t lip service. His beliefs were part of the message. Do you disagree?
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“that comes from projecting your need to adhere to dogma on those who don't”
no need, just saying what I see on this here message board. He says he respects NO Christian and he regularly gets props from SOME of the other regular atheists here. He doesn’t have a “lack of interest” as you do.
I’m glad you are disinterested in my religion, I guess I’m disinterested in your lack of religion as well, in the same sense. I always enjoy hearing another point of view though.
bigTuna at 2:55AM on Jan 20th 2008