The New Negro Problem

In 1944, Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal published a study called An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy.  In this study, Myrdal claimed that white people, in general, want to see black people (then called 'Negros', although this term is usually inappropriate to use today) disappear from America.  This is due to the perception by whites that blacks are inferior in every way.  Without earning the benefits of having them as slaves, white people saw no use for black people in America.

However, Myrdal believed that the "the Negro problem" was a "white man's problem".  This is due to the fact that white people, through enslavement and institutionalized racism, were responsible for the low estate of black people.  Only by using the privileges that the social and economic structure of America gave to whites could blacks be elevated.  Once blacks were able to improve their situation, then white people could look at them favorably and cease to see them as inferiors, thus leading to improved racial harmony.

I suggest that there is a "new" Negro problem.  As black people have improved their situation, white people see fewer and fewer reasons to accept the problems (social, economic, health, etc.) that have historically plagued the African American population of this country. Furthermore, black people who have been successful, such as athletes, actors, politicians, etc., give the impression to other races that there is no longer a need to pay special attention to racism.  Since many blacks have "made it", then the struggle for racial equality must be over.

This unprecedented level of success in the African American community, particularly in the ascension of Barack Obama, is a potential problem because there are many black people who still struggle with the many damaging legacies of slavery.  Without a focus on their needs, then a large segment of the African American population will continue to suffer from racist attitudes directed at them from blacks as well as whites.  While toiling in darkness, their problems will be ironically hidden by the blinding lights of black luminaries such as Oprah Winfry and Dick Parsons.

The solution to this problem is for successful black people to be ever vigilant in the defense of those African Americans who still have not found success either through racism, ignorance, or simply bad luck.  Also, white people need to understand that the crippling effects of centuries of racism cannot be reversed by the relative new phenomena of equality and inclusion.  Only then can the appropriate assistance (educational, economic, and social) be extended by those who have often been denied the American Dream.  I am not calling for eternal welfare for African Americans, but I am calling for help for black people who have a desire to improve their situation but simply cannot due to the realities of our nation's history.  As Myrdal postulated, the improvement of the state of African Americans will help all Americans free themselves of the historical negative view of blacks.