United States history is replete with periods (e.g., slavery, Jim Crow, separate but equal) that contributed to thwart the progress of its black citizens. This fact is undeniable and not remotely debatable. What is debatable, however, is how particular black citizens and particular black families responded to these periods. The responses made (then and now) characterize and demarcate the line between black advancers/progressives and black delayers.
