In Emmy Award-winning journalist Juan Williams’ recent visit to UCSD, he presented some alarming statistics: “We have 25 percent of America’s white children born out of wedlock. We have 50 percent of America’s [Latino] children born out of wedlock. And 70 percent of America’s black children born out of wedlock.”” Why is this happening in America? Williams attributed the startling numbers to what he said was unacceptable behavior by black American leaders in pop culture.
Above: Juan Williams speaks to an audience in Mandeville Auditorium regarding his views on the status of black culture in American society. Below: Williams signs a copy of his book “Enough,”” in which he stresses the importance of personal accountability for impoverished blacks.
“You’ve got Flava Flav acting like a total ass, and women chasing after him dressed as hoes and strippers,”” Williams said in his speech last Friday, Nov. 17. “This is what is held up as an image to America’s young people, especially [Latinos] and blacks.””
The absence of constructive and positive black role models is one of the cardinal issues Williams addresses in his most recent novel, “Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements, and Culture of Failure That Are Undermining Black America — and What We Can Do About It.””
In his recent address to students, Williams outlined many of the same points he explained in his book, mainly the fact that impoverished blacks must be aware of their personal choices.
“This is what we call accountability: people taking responsibility of their own lives, not waiting for the next Dr. King,”” he said. Students currently taking Thurgood Marshall College’s course, “Dimensions of Culture: Diversity”” were required to attend Williams’ speech. The core components of his ideology, however, are somewhat in contrast with those of the Marshall diversity course.
Nancy Gilson, a professor for the DOC program in Marshall, criticized William’s argument.
“I think his biggest weakness is his solution to pull yourself up by your bootstraps — people have heard that before,”” Gilson said. “Critique is easy; we want to know how it’s going to happen. It’s an oversimplified view of a problem that is not simple. Can the African American society do it all by themselves? No, they can’t. Should we all work toward it? Yes, we should.””
Such views were echoed by many in the audience. For instance, Thurgood Marshall College sophomore Espoir Kyubwa, a student enrolled in UCSD’s new African American studies minor, said he believed there must be a balance to Williams’ views.
“[Williams] presents a way for blacks to come out of poverty and that’s one side, but it is not complete,”” Kyubwa said. “You can’t normalize a system without bridging a gap. A way to do that is by going into impoverished areas and ghettos and showing them how to rise up, rather than telling them.””
Challengers of Williams’ ideas were typically those who believe that the impact of social institutions is substantial when determining the success of minorities. The DOC curriculum discusses the effects of these social institutions in history, one of the most prominent being government law.
“[Williams’] focus is all on the human characteristics of inequality and the way they get perpetuated,”” Gilson said. “In general the DOC curriculum addresses these things in a structural approach.””
Williams promoted the evolution of his ideas into action by ending his speech with an order.
“Realize that you are in a position to make a difference in this generation, in this new century, and to spit out the sleeping pill given to you by popular culture,”” he said.
