by Jeffery A. Faulkerson

Created on: June 25, 2008   Last Updated: September 05, 2008

THE PRICE OF ADMISSION: Why White America Must Change Its Ways

By now, many of you have already listened to the two podcasts I produced on the continued miseducation of black Americans (www.blogtalkradio.com/firmbutfair/). I have already done this excessively over the past few days, but I would like to thank Khalif Muhammad and Earl Christian III for their wonderful contributions to these two shows. I encourage you, my loyal listeners, to visit their YouTube Channels to learn more about how they're making a difference in California and New York, respectively.

Today's blog is titled "THE PRICE OF ADMISSION: Why White America Must Change Its Ways". This topic grows out of my dissatisfaction with the way we black Americans continue to be treated by white Americans in this country and in other parts of the world. Granted, many of us black Americans continue to buy into the lie that we're inferior to everyone else. If this wasn't the case, the 2005 graduation rate for this country's black high school students would not be 55.3 percent. If this wasn't the case, more of us black Americans would be purposeful in our interactions with the world rather than disengaged. More importantly, though, the Black Haves would be doing more to improve conditions for the Black Have-Nots.

That last reason is probably the most telling, because I equate this disassociation to black-on-black crime. But you have to understand the psychology that is fueling us Black Haves' misbehavior. Experience has shown me that most successful Blacks look down on their disadvantaged brothers and sisters with disdain, telling themselves, "If I can do it (i.e., graduate from high school and college, secure a college degree, and earn moderate to high wages), then so can you." This statement is true, especially in this period of collective prosperity, but the fact still remains that this message falls on deaf ears because there is no convergence of the Black Haves' words and deeds.

We Black Haves have a penchant for jockeying for the attention, acceptance and praise of privileged Whites. Oftentimes, we find ourselves on a quest to show them that we have the stuff to be prosperous. But once we achieve this prosperity, they tell us that we're still less than them rather than equal to them because we can't do anything to change the color of our skin.

Truth be told, white Americans are the ones who need to change their ways the most. They must understand what Jesus Christ meant when he said, "The first will be

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