Doing some research, Mr. Mendola (Monitor Letters, Oct. 7), I see that you are still using some exceptional African American financial successes, speeches out of context, and the book White Guilt by African American Shelby Steele (2006) to promote your premise of American privilege over white privilege with your “My Turn” article of July 31 and subsequent letters to the editor.
African Americans are no more a monolith in thinking than European Americans. Your privilege allows you to pick and choose sources. Tell me, did the 10 largest companies in Standard & Poor’s index create a fund for $50 billion to aid communities and people of color?
Here’s some statistics from 2016-2017 about the breakdown of power in institutions:
■Ten richest Americans: 100% white (seven are among the richest in the world)
■U.S. Congress: 90% white
■U.S. governors: 96% white
■Top military advisers: 100% white
■President and vice president: 100% white
■Current U.S. presidential cabinet: 91% white
■U.S. House Freedom Caucus: 99% white
■Deciders for TV shows: 93% white
■Deciders of books to read: 90% white
■Deciders of news coverage: 85% white
■Producers of music: 95% white
■Directors of 100 top grossing films worldwide: 95% white
■Teachers: 82% white
■Full-time college professors: 84% white
■Owners of men’s professional football teams: 97% white
History tells us how we got here (your reconstruction analysis is way off). Where we go from here is the right question, but how willing are European Americans, like you, to be anti-racist? You confuse partisan politics with what it does mean to be an American.
DAWN BERRY
Hopkinton