W.E.B. DuBois, the great author and
Professor wrote a book entitled, "The Souls of Black Folks." The books gives
a view of black life after reconstruction. I encourage people to read
it to get a better understanding of the trials that continue in black
life. However, it was his speech or essay that he wrote in 1903 titled,
"The Talented Tenth." In this essay, he declared that it would be the
upper tenth of black life that will help the masses. The first
paragraph reads...
"The Negro race, like all races, is going to be saved by its
exceptional men. The problem of education, then, among Negroes must first of all
deal with the Talented Tenth; it is the problem of developing the Best
of this race that they may guide the Mass away from the contamination
and death of the Worst, in their own and other races. Now the training
of men is a difficult and intricate task. Its technique is a matter for
educational experts, but its object is for the vision of seers. If we
make money the object of man-training, we shall develop money-makers but
not necessarily men; if we make technical skill the object of
education, we may possess artisans but not, in nature, men. Men we shall have
only as we make manhood the object of the work of the schools *
intelligence, broad sympathy, knowledge of the world that was and is, and of the
relation of men to it * this is the curriculum of that Higher Education
which must underlie true life. On this foundation we may build bread
winning, skill of hand and quickness of brain, with never a fear lest the
child and man mistake the means of living for the object of life."
This is my desire, that WE reach back to uplift black society. We
would start with a yearly vacation. As the group grows...in number and in
wealth, we would serve as the modern day Talented Tenth...lifting our
fellow brothers and sisters from the grips of
poverty...degradation...and despair...We would be up-standing members of our community.
Volunteering and lending our services to churches, community organizations,
non-profit organizations, schools, etc. Maybe my dream will never reach
the level that is currently in my head but when you reach for the
moon...and you don't reach your destination, at least you are surrounded by
stars. I am glad you were apart of my dream and I hope that you will
continue to be apart of "the Tenth." I look forward to seeing you again.
