PRAGER UNIVERSITY: Blacks in Power Don't Empower Blacks

"We teach what isn’t taught." - Dennis Prager

This semester of Prager University is presented by:  Jason Riley

"When blacks had little political power they nevertheless made significant economic progress...Before any 'affirmative action' the number of blacks in middle-class professions quadrupled.  In other words, racial gaps were steadily narrowing without any special treatment for blacks.  And then came the 'War on Poverty' in the mid 60's...[A] strong case can be made that to the extent that a social program, however well meaning, interferes with a group's self development, it does more harm than good.  Government policies that discourage marriage, and undermine the work ethic; open ended welfare benefits for example, help keep poor people poor." – J.R.

"[D]uring an era of growing black political influence, blacks as a group progressed at slower rates than whites. And the black poor actually lost ground...[T]he evidence...indicates that there may be little relationship between the success of black leaders and the opportunities of typical black families...Human capital is far more important than political capital." – J.R.