Herman Cain: 'Many' African Americans Have a Level Playing Field

The Huffington Post is reporting that GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain said that he doesn't believe racism holds African Americans back.

"I don't believe racism in this country today holds anybody back in a big way," said Cain, former CEO of Godfather's Pizza, during an interview on CNN. "Are there some elements of racism? Yes, it gets back to if we don't grow this economy, that is a ripple effect for every economic level, and because blacks are more disproportionately unemployed, they get hit the worst when economic policies don't work. That's where it starts."

Cain asserted that he firmly believes that "many" African Americans have a level playing field when it comes to economic issues and pointed to his own credentials to make his case.

Herman Cain is a great example of success in this country; however, one's individual experience is not necessarily applicable to an entire group of people. It is wrong to assume that just because you have what you perceive to be a "level playing field," others have that as well.

The effects of racism are real and not imagined, as evidenced by the numerous ways in which blacks are disproportionately impacted by certain ills like unemployment, health disparities and the like. We find it interesting when folks who have "made it" suggest that poor people, including many blacks, choose poverty. Why would anybody choose to be poor in a society that values wealth and the wealthy? Until Cain and others like him recognize the systemic nature of racism that informs issues like chronic unemployment, we will continue to pretend that all is fair in love, war and America.

Read more at the Huffington Post.

In other news: Def Jam Chronicles Its First 25 Years.

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