No easy answers indeed.

While integration opened up doors and provided access to resources it did not provide a detailed roadmap to being a self sufficient people.

We've developed a severe case of elitism. In the same vein some disenfranchised blacks have developed a quite extraordinary disdain for African Americans that have worked to improve their position in life.

In order to rise as a people the African American Diaspora must realize that the only way to grow is to actively seek out and engage others so that you can understand exactly what it is that they value. Too often people want to offer and extend their view of happiness to others without fully attempting to understand the wants and desires of those that they are helping.

It's doubtful, in my opinion, that this will happen within the next decade. It seems as if African Americans need a common struggle to embrace in order to work together as a unified and collective unit.

I, however, how no answers and can only provide commentary. My only suggestion is that you pck up and embrace one issue that you feel is hindering our community and become a committee of one. Become an expert on and a champion of that one issue.