"I'm tired of the suspicion that because I'm black, whatever I achieve is somehow suspect."
Here's an excerpt:
Here's an excerpt:
'You probably got it because you're black."
I heard those words two years ago when I had the honor of being selected as a White House Fellow. It wasn't the first time that at a moment of proud accomplishment I had heard skeptical comments. It happened when I was promoted a year ahead of my military peers. Earning a graduate degree from Harvard University prompted a dismissive remark about admission quotas. Most troubling of all was that, each time, I wondered: "What if it's true?"
This is the ugly side of racial preferences that gets little attention. No matter what one may think of the policy, the truth is that with it comes an undercurrent of implied inferiority. Even in instances when a black or Hispanic is the best qualified and well-matched for a particular career or academic opportunity, the perception of unfair favoritism follows the person, hovering in the ether. The same suspicion often follows women who succeed.Read the full post in the WSJ. (Thanks, Tom)
