Open season on black success: True racism

Raised in the segregated Jim Crow south of Selma Ala., she became a political scientist and diplomat, an accomplished pianist, B.A. cum laude and Ph.D. in political science at the University of Denver, the first female African-American secretary of state and the first female national security advisor – Condoleezza Rice.

He was a high school dropout who joined the Marine Corps during the Korean War. After leaving the service, he entered Harvard University, worked a part-time job as a photographer, studied economics and graduated magna cum laude. Earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago and would later receive the Nobel Prize in Economics. He's served on faculties of Cornell University and University of California, Los Angeles, and worked for think tanks such as the Urban Institute. Since 1980 he has worked at the Hoover Institution. He is the author of more than 30 books – Thomas Sowell.

He was raised in the segregated Jim Crow South of Pin Point, Ga., a town that lacked a sewage system and paved roads. His father abandoned his family, and his mother worked as a domestic worker. After a house fire left them homeless, his grandparents, who had built a thriving fuel oil business, raised him. First in the family to go to college, he graduated from Holy Cross in 1971 with an A.B. cum laude in English literature and later graduated from Yale University. He was nominated to a sit on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and became the second Black Supreme Court justice – Clarence Thomas.

These individuals embody the meaning of the American Dream. They seized on their opportunities to become exceptional in their fields in spite of their humble beginning in an era of institutional racism. They highlight the uniqueness of a nation whose foundational promise is life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They represent, in particular to other black Americans, a message of hope to all who are willing to prepare themselves: "If I can do it… you can do it."

Ironically, instead of being highlighted as examples, these accomplished Americans are demeaned, derided and diminished by white liberals who, with a wink and a nod, are given cover by their black liberal collaborators. Terms such as Uncle Toms or Aunt Jemima, Porch Monkeys, Oreo, House N–-ers and Turncoat replace the accolades and praise they've earned and deserve. White liberal radio hosts Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia were given latitude to laugh and joke as their guest talked about raping the first black secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice. The compliant black pundits dutifully played their role in attacking black success by remaining silent.

What is the crime that justifies such derision? These Americans have simply chosen to be conservatives – they are pro-life for the unborn, pro-choice for each child's education and pro-God regarding His definition of marriage as one man and one woman. The punishment for daring to step off the liberal plantation is character assassination. The punishment for the black community, from where they come is the continued deficit of strong, principled and accomplished role models. Black and white liberals/ socialist/ progressives once again show their priority as they place the advancement of their ideology above the progress and edification of the black community. For them it is all about team … their team.

This strategy has proven very effective since its implementation over 100 years ago. In 1910, 19 wealthy white socialists, liberals and progressives formed an organization and gave themselves a black name. They called themselves The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), even though at the time there were no colored people involved, consulted or asked to advise. They then hired and placed on their board the sole black representative, socialist, intellectual and self-described "best of his race," W.E.B Dubois. He would serve as the NAACP's face, voice and conduit to the black community as they delivered their anti-capitalist message. Their message would eventually undermine the work and efforts of one of America's greatest self-sufficiency advocates, Booker T. Washington. Decades later, Washington, a former slave, founder of Tuskegee University, founder of the National Negro Business League, adviser to President Roosevelt, the most prolific fundraiser for black colleges and a respected international advocate for the black race, would become renowned as an "Uncle Tom."

It is this group of black liberal elitists who – with the rewards of fame, fortune and face time on cable news – are given the task of ensuring that no successful conservative black American is left standing. The result of this strategy is that the black community is unique among all others as one that values loyalty to ideology over granting positive role models to their children. As our youth search desperately for those to emulate, they are left with a sampling of liberal athletes, entertainers, ministers and pimps. As it was imperative for the NAACP to destroy the reputation of Booker T. Washington, it is today imperative for the white liberal establishment to demean any black American who dares stand against their policies. It can be best summarized as "open season on black success … racism."

During the mid-1900s, my parents' generation gave to our country one of its fastest-growing middle-class segments. Historically it has been this middle class that has been the magnet for all others seeking to succeed. So it will be so today that the black middle class must pick up the gauntlet to ensure the future progress of our race. To reclaim this role we must be willing to accept a basic truth that our destiny will not be predicated on the success of a particular party, a particular president or a particular group of exalted career politicians. As a community it must return to the pride of accomplishment that drove my parents' generation. We the People must stand against ALL attacks on black success. If the progress of the black race is to be our priority, then our political differences must become secondary. We can no longer afford to be divided by those whose agenda and priorities are different from ours.

We can and we must reclaim the greatness of a community that for decades after the end of slavery represented to the world a grand example of the possibility of the America Dream. Race before ideology is where it begins, and intolerance for racist attacks against successful black Americans is where it ends. This priority will by itself negate the influence of the black "Problem Profiteers" who aggrandize themselves by their compliance.