As a former inner-city school teacher I have seen my share of gut-wrenching human drama...apathy, abuse, neglect, addiction, assault and even murder. Fresh out of an elite graduate school my worldview - in the face of so much tragedy - was quickly put to the test and found wanting. I tried to bring healing through social promotion, self-esteem building, ebonics, multiculturalism and even some moral relativism. I favored affirmative action, unlimited welfare, higher minimum wage...you get the picture. What I found was none of this seemed to work. What sounded so good in grad school didn't really help real people in "The Jungle" or "Oakwood" neighborhoods of Los Angeles.
Fortunately, for my students, I found Shelby Steele. His book, The Content of Our Character, helped me see a way out of what I thought was the only kind, caring and compassionate approach to the social devastation I found myself in. Now, his new book, White Guilt (reviewed here by George Will) is out and is a MUST read.
We can do better for the last and the least. It is time to rethink our approach to race, education and poverty...Shelby Steele has much to offer us to that end.
Didymus
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