First of I want to aplogize for not reading all the responses to an excelent topic..its been a long day and Im tired so Ill make it quick. I have the distinct advantage of growing up in an all lower income, black community(Im white, but dont hold that against me..hehe) My observations if you will..many black americans feel a sense of entitlement, and can you blame them, decades of federal assistance, where you are rewarded for dropping out of school and having children out of wedlock in the form of a gov. check which rivals that of a min. wage paying job. I saw first hand women having more kids in order to get more money or selling then food stamps for cash, sad but true. There is no greater recipe for disaster then single, uneducated, moms raising kids, our prisons are find examples of this. At best youre almost destined for a life of struggle and mediocroty. Black students who would try to excell in school were called or accused of "acting white" and that wasnt meant as a compliment. Remember, many Asians grow up in these same neighborhoods, and there were a few sprinkled throughout my hood, the difference being they came from a very strict two parent home with parents whose only concern was making sure their kids made it. Of course I saw that in black homes as well, just not as prevalent.

The ironic thing of it is that as far as racism is concerned, until very recently, areas of large black populations(innercities) were, are, almost entirely dominated by left leaning local black politicians or their white counterparts. I have more thoughts and observations but Im tired.