so, I was gazing through a post and I saw this brought up, and it brought back a lot of feelings I felt when I was first introduced to this concept. For those of you who don't know, this concept was brought up by W.E.B DuBois....first black to graduate from Harvard, migrated to Ghana, Souls of Black Folk, etc. etc. Anyways, he felt that it was up to the "talented tenth" of black folk to basically carry the rest of them that are lagging.
When I thought about it, I said to myself "Is he saying that only a tenth of the total black population is talented??" But now I am starting to think that perhaps he didn't mean to say that only a tenth were talented, but out of all the talented black people, the tenth are the ones who should take responsibility for the rest.
I would really appreciate it if someone cleared this up for me. We didn't really go over it much in my history class.
And also, how do you feel about the "talented tenth" scenario?? do you think it is right, or wrong?
In my opinion, the only way we will be able to bridge the gap between the upper and lower class blacks is to do away w/ elitist attitudes such as the "Talented Tenth." While it may have applied back then, I don't think it would help our situation now. More time should be focused on coming together, rather than focusing on one particular faction.
I must say, I definitely disagree to an extent. The hypocrisy among black people can be deadly at times. We preach that we want to see our people do well and rise to the top of every field, and succeed in every endeavor, then we criticize and condemn them when they do not meet OUR requirements. The whole ideal of the "Talented Tenth" was to not only raise up but to promote the growth and succession of our race. We may not agree or follow the likes of many of our black leaders, but credit is still due. We may not be in agreement with some of Colin Powell's conservative policies, but credit the man for all the work and effort he has put into his career, having shown immense succession since his poverty-stricken childhood days. Some may consider Condoleeza Rice a sell-out for backing the likes of a man like Bush, but she has stood her ground, and defended herself on countless occassions against the same racist remarks and thoughts which plague us all as a nation on a day to day basis! Who are we to criticize!? As a young black man, I may not agree with everything that my predocessors act upon, but to criticize them is to subordinate all the work they have put forth to get to where they are. Many over the past couple weeks have criticized Bill Cosby for speaking what so many do, but what we say behind closed doors, he spoke publicly. We are the first one's to gossip behind one another's backs, but the last to air one another's dirty laundry publicly. Part of the problem with social reform in America is the fact that MANY are not willing and open to acknowledging the fact that educated Black males and females are not a multiplying breed, and that EVERY effort must be taken to see to it that these young black boys and girls have role models and icons to look up to, even if they are radicals like Louis Farrakhan, conservatives like Condoleeza Rice, or **** like Cornel West. Always re-evaluate the situation . . . Much love . . .
i feel what you are saying......but I criticize because it feels like they have forgotten where they came from. I mean, I know it might sound like I am asking for a hand out, but I think it is important for those on top to reach down to the bottom instead of criticizing us. And I don't just mean by donating money, because sometimes actually time spent is more valuable than just singing over a check.
I, for one, agree with the general concept accompanied with the Talented Tenth theory. Whether DuBois meant for it to be taken as a statement of superiority is unknown (at least by me), but my view is that it could actually be greatly helpful to the African-American community, if it were to be implemented correctly. JayDeezy mentioned the comments that Bill Cosby made, and I completely agree with him. Maybe he said them at the "wrong time", and maybe his choice words were a bit harsh, but Cosby is a prime example of a member of The Talented Tenth. Through entertainment (among other things) Cosby has tried to help his people as much as he can. To me, when he spoke those blunt words, it just sounded like a man who had tried and tried and tried to reach out, but is on the brink of giving up. More people have already given up on the youth of the African-American community, because those who could easily become members of the Talented Tenth choose to do other things (i.e shoot Tip Drill videos, or make asinine, dumb **** rap reality shows, or take off their clothes for movies or for no reason at all, etc.) The Talented Tenth is still around today, but it is a grotesque caricature of what DuBois actually wanted. If the leaders of our community would take responsibility and realize that what they do is being copied and immortalized whether they want it to or not, I believe our Talented Tenth would take on a positive form.
The talented tenth is a concept that is more vast than just the African American community. Sometimes, the untarnished truth can appear condescending.
If you look across America and the world, the concept of percentage domination is evident. Look at the percentage of people in the US who vote. Even the percentage of people who answer polls which supposedly indicate the political climate.
There will always be the people who slouch away from responsibility. And there will always be that "tenth" or so of people who pick up the slack of the slouchers. Du Bois was just calling out to that tenth. He was just assigning the duty of consciousness to those who will take it.
Some people would be more at ease with the Talented Fifth, simply because it includes more people, doesn't seem as elitist. My personal opinion of Du Bois' concept is not elitism, though..
I don't think that he meant that only ten percent of African Americans were talented. I think he is describing the ones who, with their respective talents, will carry the race on their backs to new heights.
And don't worry, all of you who answered this post, and those who even took the time to read the responses, can be categorized within that tenth. Not just because you read, but because the topic of the upward motion of the Black people is of interest to you. This is, I believe, the consciousness that Du Bois spoke of.
As a continuation...
I think there is a misconception about the Talented Tenth.
I don't think that DuBois implied that only ten percent of Blacks are capable of extraordinary deeds, but rather that the ten percent with the highest degree of social power should be the most ardent supporters of our growth. Simply because they have the greatest capacity to create change, they should have the least objection to promoting our development. Holla!
NeoSoulBrotha, I gotta question.....Do you think that the talented tenth thought they were better than the rest of the black population....do you think that the only reason that they considered themselves the talented tenth is because of their skin complextion.......do you think they felt because they were the closest to white/european looking they felt that they were the saviors of the race.......
My concept of the "Talented Tenth" was less that DuBois was trying to set apart a certain fraction of the black society in support of elitism...and more encourage a part of the black community to act as 'shepherds'. It's not just a black, thing either -- I think DuBois was merely drawing from what he saw in other cultures. Even in the white community, there are those who take the roles of business leaders, college presidents, etc...and the others who are basically guided by that leadership.
I think DuBois was only trying to help spread some of that knowledge to the black community, thinking that a "tenth" -- maybe not literally a tenth, but a smaller group -- would guide and shepherd the larger group to a higher standard of life.
As for the 'Talented Tenth' thinking they're better...did DuBois ever actually name his Talented Tenth? I don't believe so, and I certainly don't think the Talented Tenth were only light-skinned people. I'm sure that many lighter-skinned blacks back then probably did think they were better, because that is what America had brainwashed them to think (back to the perception of 'house ****, field ****') and they probably did think they were closer to Europeans. But I don't think that had anything to do with DuBois's Talented Tenth. I think that was more of a leadership thing.
My concept of the "Talented Tenth" was less that DuBois was trying to set apart a certain fraction of the black society in support of elitism...and more encourage a part of the black community to act as 'shepherds'. It's not just a black, thing either -- I think DuBois was merely drawing from what he saw in other cultures. Even in the white community, there are those who take the roles of business leaders, college presidents, etc...and the others who are basically guided by that leadership.
I think DuBois was only trying to help spread some of that knowledge to the black community, thinking that a "tenth" -- maybe not literally a tenth, but a smaller group -- would guide and shepherd the larger group to a higher standard of life.
As for the 'Talented Tenth' thinking they're better...did DuBois ever actually name his Talented Tenth? I don't believe so, and I certainly don't think the Talented Tenth were only light-skinned people. I'm sure that many lighter-skinned blacks back then probably did think they were better, because that is what America had brainwashed them to think (back to the perception of 'house ****, field ****') and they probably did think they were closer to Europeans. But I don't think that had anything to do with DuBois's Talented Tenth. I think that was more of a leadership thing.
well about the whole light skin thing, back then, they were the black people given more opportunities to further their education. Of course, today, such is not the case. And the thing about actually naming himself in the talented tenth, is irrelevant. Why would he create a theory that wouldn't include himself?? And he was apart of the "talented tenth" just from looking at his accomplishments and involvement in the black movement during that time. I think that all black people should try to better the race.....not just leave it up to a "tenth."
NeoSoulBrotha, I gotta question.....Do you think that the talented tenth thought they were better than the rest of the black population....do you think that the only reason that they considered themselves the talented tenth is because of their skin complextion.......do you think they felt because they were the closest to white/european looking they felt that they were the saviors of the race.......
There are certainly those who would consider themselves superior, based upon their lineage or wealth. I think it is human nature as opposed to a "Black thing", as every society has its aristocratic element.
Quote:
As for the 'Talented Tenth' thinking they're better...did DuBois ever actually name his Talented Tenth?
Actually, he did. DuBois formed Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, also known as the Boule' (a term referring to a group of leaders or esteemed men.) The purpose was to recruit and organize men of high stature and achievement in order to actually carry out some of these objectives. This organization remains active to this day.
