<p>Ultima, thanks for contributing your first hand experience to this discussion. I think the door of hostility between African immigrants and African Americans often swings both ways. I’ve been told on more than a few occassions by African immigrants, that they share a general feeling of disgust and overall disrespect for many African Americans because they fail to take advantage of what Africans see as abundant opportunities in this country. They see African Americans as lazy complainers who use racism as an excuse not to succeed, and are dismayed by what they view as a lack of academic ambition. Unfortunately, I believe they are right in many instances. Never in the history of this country have African Americans had more freedom and opportunity, yet there are many who insist that “things are moving backward”, and that we are just one step away from losing all the social and legal ground we’ve now attained. I have to say that I just don’t understand this perspective. Without a doubt, there are still deeply entrenched social and economic problems with the AfAm community, whose roots are in our long history of slavery and Jim Crow oppression. And racism and discrimination are still alive and well. However, too many black Americans steadfastly refuse to walk through the doors that HAVE been pried open for us. It always saddens (and yes, enrages) me when people choose to whine instead of take action on their own behalf. How is it that so many AfAms have lost sight of the understanding that education is the most reliable way up and out? How is it that for many, acknowledging the fact that we MUST address certain self-destructive behaviors and attitudes within our own community, is tantamount to denying that racism and discrimination still exist? Until we can stop lambasting people like Dr. Bill Cosby for addressing some of our painful truths, I don’t see as many of the problems endemic to the AfAm community are likely to change any time soon.</p>