The unspeakable horror of the murder of a beloved son causes unimaginable pain. But the assertion that America is somehow responsible for Ennis Cosby's death is not only wrong, but dangerously so. Most blacks are middle class or better. Blacks attend college in percentages equivalent to the national black population. Comparing black workers with the same education, training, and years of experience on the job to white counterparts, economists find no difference in black versus white incomes.
Blacks now graduate from high school at rates equivalent to that of whites.
This means forever. Their advice and optimism were strikingly similar. Today, they said, you make your own way. Work hard, stay focused, stay positive, and you can make it. Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Open Housing Act of 1968, and before the widespread implementation of affirmative action.