“Walter Williams, who notes a formula that any American, regardless of race, can use to dramatically improve one’s life. I strip down Professor Williams’ erudite rhetoric:

- graduate from high school
- don’t have children before marriage
- stay out of jail
- don’t be a lazy ass

The 26% of black folks who remain poor have typically broken one of these rules. Usually several. A few, every one of these rules. This is not the Jim Crow era, with massive barriers facing black folks. Just addressing the marriage rate alone - which previous generations of blacks, while far poorer, put us to shame here - would promote great change in Black America. Being married particularly helps blacks: the poverty rate for married blacks with kids is 8%, single dads 19%, and single moms 35%. 85% of poor black children live in single-mom households. Thankfully, the low black marriage rate is starting to inch up again, because two-parent homes are significantly less likely to produce children who later commit crimes, have children of their own out of wedlock, not do well in school, and other concerns of the Covenant”. –Shay Riley, blogging over at the Black Professors Blog