One heavily stressed issue that Aldon D. Morris writes about in this book is the conflict between Du Bois and Washington. The social factors, that contributed to the accepted narrative that credited Robert E. Park and Booker T. Washington rather than Du Bois, are reflective of a persisting intragroup issue in which members of the black community who align more closely with the accepted ideas of white society as a whole are given a greater platform than those who choose a path independent of the societal stream.

The disparity between the support and funding received by Du Bois and the Atlanta school and Park and the Chicago school was a result of not only the marginalization of black academia, but also the continuing friction between Washington and Du Bois. The establishment of Washington as, effectively, the gate keeper of black funds and political clout can be attributed solely to his docile acceptance of the white ideal imposed on the community.

Today, this issue still endures within the black community. Often, black leaders are pitted against each other, whether it be based on differences in ideals, methods, or actions. And regularly, this conflict descends into a fight in which white media takes the side of whomever has ideas more in line with white standards. For example, prior to the recent rape allegations, Bill Cosby was often cited by members of the white community for his ideas on the problems of the black community. In his famous “Pound Cake” speech, Cosby criticizes parts of the community, while also blaming African Americans for their own plight. Over and again, Cosby attributed the issues of the black community to larger issues with black culture as a whole. And, until recently, many white leaders, arguing for the idea that black culture was the real, pervasive problem, mentioned Cosby’s argument, somehow “legitimizing” him as an expert on the black community.

As with Washington, Cosby’s comments on the black community served as a serious detriment to those who were actually trying to fix the problems he discussed. When Washington expressed the idea that blacks should strive for economic equality through industrial jobs, rather than total social, economic, and political equality, he also hindered the work of other black leaders who were trying to achieve the latter goal. A century later, when Cosby expressed these ideas that sat well with white media, he effectively became another obstacle for black leaders who were trying to fix the issues that plagued the black community at the source. In his shallow and imprudent comments, he allowed others to also blame black community issues on black culture, rather than on the years of systematic and structural disadvantage that had created these issues.