Yep, absolutely. Again, by acknowledging progress or seeking optimism, I'm not trying to claim that racism doesn't exist. I'm pointing out, and you put it very nicely, that both negativity and positivity have momentum. And that the negativity is gaining far too much steam. Even in the face of evidence to the contrary.

If people believe that a situation is hopeless, they're far less likely to do something about it. And there's just so much hopelessness being injected into black America right now. In fact, I don't think it's hyperbole to say it's one of the biggest challenges facing black America.

The wealth gap is a huge problem. But the fact is, wealth accumulation takes time. It's only been 57 years since the Civil Rights Act. And 55 yeas since the Fair Housing Act. I'd love to see intelligent efforts to fix that gap, but what those might be is above my pay grade.

Crime is an easier one I think. But the fact is, crime reduction takes political will. And financial investment. And there is a dearth of both. As I mention in the article, conviction rates for black people are falling. But I haven't looked at changes in black victimhood rates. Sadly, I suspect they're not falling at anything like the same rate. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised of they're rising. And one of the many reasons for this is the culture of hopelessness I'm pointing to here.