Enough

While many blacks are waiting for their forty acres and a mule, Juan Williams is busy telling them that the way to get the forty acres and the mule is through education, self determination and individual responsibility. In his book, Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements, and Culture of Failure That are Undermining Black America- and What We Can Do About It, Williams discusses the destruction of the black community and its not at the hands of whites.

Using Bill Cosby's, now infamous, speech at the anniversary gathering of the Brown decision, Williams takes a look inward at the black communities self destruction: gansta rap, out of wedlock births, etc. The Washington Post's Book World writes, "Williams believes that the 1954 Brown school-desegregation decision and subsequent activism virtually cured the disease of racism; that heroic era was a 20th century watershed. For him, the remedies for racism's remaining vestiges are education self-determination and individual responsibility. Regarding political leaders in the 21st century, her prefers mavericks in the mold of Bill Cosby, whom he considers courageous enough to 'call out' the predatory behavior of the black poor. On this score, Williams laments what he sees as a black underclass mesmerized by racial hucksters playing 'old school' politics: corporate blackmail desguised as boycotts, nake shakedowns leveraged by rhetorical threats and the like."

One of my favorite lines was, "Instead, the agreed message among sel-described progressive black leaders is that white people are in control of all the problems facing black America. And it follows, by this twisted logic, that white people owe a debt to black people because of slavery, and white people are never to be allowed to get out of that burden." How true. While not a perfect book, Williams speaks truth to power. If we could only have more people like him speak out. This is a book that should be read by everyone regardless of skin color.

Maybe I should send a copy to Jesse and Al.