Stigma (John Speaking)
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• There would never have been a Supreme Court decision making segregated schools unconstitutional in 1954.
• There would never have been a Civil Rights Act in 1964
• There would never have been a Voting rights Act in 1965
• There would never have been federal money put into inner city schools
• There would never have been a series of court decisions that allowed affirmative action (even though there have been others that have called it into question)
• There would never have been other court decisions that adjusted congressional districts to allow for more black members of Congress.

My point is not that we have solved all our problems. The point is that the very fact that these things occurred proves that it is not necessary to directly attack and eliminate stigma before progress can be made. And by the way, those other factors may include a lot more than genuine concern about the welfare of African Americans. There are all kinds of political and economic factors that lead to change. We have to understand them and try to work with them to improve the situation. I think you are putting way too much stress on one aspect of the situation.

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