At a time when black Americans should have seen their greatest advances, they became poorer. At a time when they have unprecedent opportunities, many get lost in an endless circle of illegitimacy, crime, drugs, gangbanging, and nihilism. We all know the numbers. The 25 percent is now 68 percent. There are more black men in prison, on parole, or awaiting trial than there are in college.
Murder is the leading cause of death among young black men.
Nineteen out of 20 blacks who are murdered are murdered by other blacks. If whites killed blacks as much as blacks kill each other, we would justifiably call it genocide. It is not much of an exaggeration to say that we have all but lost an entire generation of African Americans. There are success stories, but when an entire group of people has more of its members in prison than in college, it is easy to lose hope. In the 1965 report, Moynihan made a few simple observations that should have prompted action and concern.