The difference being, those black ladies in the 1960s were NOT DEI hires.
They were the best of the best.
They would be really pissed to see what is going on now.
They were the best of the best.
I think you are wrong. They were the products of a segregated education system and got the least of everything.
BUT, (1) They all had significant raw talent, and (2) They grew up in an age where everybody learned Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmetic as a matter of course in school.
This was before the "new math" idiocy and back when knowing the times tables was much more important than knowing how to put a condom on a banana.