[plazul]

A disfunctional education and welfare system, teen pregnancy, and the loss of entry level and blue collar manufacturing jobs have contributed to the decline of the African American family in which slum bound single motherhood is now the norm and fathers are often confined to the prison system or otherwise absent from the home.

There is a thriving black middle class anchored in the church and contributing to society but they too have abandoned the poverty culture and often refer to the black underclass with the N word. They resent being stereotyped when they walk the streets as potential threats and possible criminals and the popular media has done black America a disservice by not showing more of the positive aspects of the, "African American community."

The fact that we still see our fellow human beings in a racial context speaks volumes about our problems. We need to get beyond race and just see the underclass as a reflection of our failed political and social policies. I am focusing on the black family (Latinos, Native Americans, and other minorities have issues too) because I see it as America's biggest failure and an integral part of the fabric of American history.

It will take more than money and creative social and economic engineering to salvage the African American family. It will take a sea change of attitude in a culture where racial prejudice and low expectations for blacks and other minorities is pervasive and political power is in the hands of a privileged few who never come in contact with, "those people."