A quarter-century ago, the United States embarked on an economic crusade to "downsize" its working class, to eliminate millions of jobs by outsourcing employment abroad and to push millions more middle-class employees into low-wage jobs.

A dozen parents sat down recently to talk about underage drinking. "Up until they are 12 or 13," one of the moms said without intended humor, "they do what you say. Then they stop."

Shelby Steele is a well-known Black conservative and a fellow at the Hoover Institution, a leading right wing think tank. He has made a lucrative career for himself by lambasting Black people and praising White people. Steele says that racism is all in the past, that all is right with the world and it is up to Black people to admit it and stop complaining.

Controversial San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds once boasted that he'd take great relish in passing the legendary Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list, but had qualms about supplant-ing Hank Aaron as the career home run king.

Question: What do Motown Records, Soft Sheen and Johnson Products have in common?

Answer: Each one of these companies were Black companies that were sold after they had become successful.

Now I did not name these companies because I wanted to hold anyone in particular up for criticism. Indeed, as I did research for this article; I even found some things to compliment. For instance, Barry Gordy stayed on and took an active role in running Motown after he sold it.

 The overt reason for Portland Police Chief Derrick Foxworth's sudden ouster does not…

In the red-hot debate over immigration, myth too often takes the place of truth. It is easier to rouse fears than it is to find common ground. It is time to step back, take a deep breath and reflect before we react.

The truth is often distorted in ways that feed our divisions. For example, many contrast this generation of immigration with the Europeans who came at the beginning of the last century. That generation, we are told, came legally, whereas this generation of immigrants is coming illegally. That generation learned the language, whereas this one is writing the National Anthem in Spanish.

When Ted Hayes announced his intention to join with the White supremacist Minutemen organization, he became the latest in a long line of opportunists, fortune seekers and ordinary Uncle Toms who are willing to do the bidding of Black America's enemies.

In 1952, the United States passed the Immigration and Nationality Act. The law created various categories for non-immigrants' entry into the country. One of these was the H-2 program for temporary workers.

In the 1950s, the U.S. Virgin Islands used the H-2 program to allow unskilled workers from various neighboring islands to work in the agricultural and tourist industries. The best-laid plans being what they are, by the 1960s these temporary workers were being employed for any and every job on the islands. By the end of the decade, these guest workers accounted for almost half of the entire work force.

The National Urban League recently released its annual report on the status of Black Americans. The report features the "Equality Index," a statistical measurement of disparities or "equality gaps" between Blacks and Whites across five key areas. The index gives a unique picture of how Black America is doing, and it shows how far we still have to go.