An American in Africa (Do yourself a favor..read)

The American Enterprise Online ^ | July/August 1997 | Keith B. Richburg

[headsonpikes]

WOW!!!

Thanks for the find.

[reagandemocrat]

A well-written and riveting article. I will now order Richburg's book. Thanks.

RD

[Lee'sGhost]

Wow . . . I'm book marking this.

And I pause to say again, where are "thank yous" from black
Americans to white Amercia for making their lives better than it could have ever been without the help of whites. When that happens, "black" America will have truly come of age.

[Galatians513]

Somehow the philosophy of the Enlightenment took hold and changed our Western world. Unfortunately, it hasn't been adopted by the vast majority of the world.

The Enlightenment produced the barbaric French revolution. It was the Reformation that produced constitutional democracy...

[aquila48]

His (Richburg's) book should be mandatory reading in every high school history class...

[colorado tanker]

Wow. The most powerful essay I've read in quite some time.

When I think of Africa and the corruption and tribal wars I just despair. There are no easy answers. A black columnist in today's Denver Post even suggested recolonization.

[FreedomPoster]

Index bump

[cibco]

BTTT

[TroutStalker]

Disturbing, required reading bump.

[FourPeas]

Bump

[XBob]

excellent observations, which should be a corolary to the main article. I lived in 3rd world countries a lot, and found it was really true, that you marry the 'family'.

People in this country have no idea. and American visitors to those countries have little idea. Sheratons, Hiltons and Mariott's are pretty much the same world wide.

[XBob]

102 - "The theme of his book is his realization that he had more in common with white Europeans and Americans than he did with black Africans. I think that the breakout moment for black Americans will be when they realize that they "Americans"."

a good observation.

As a young GI, of German-American ancestry, I was assigned to germany, and learned to speak german fluently, with a good 'HochDeutsch' accent. Along with my looks, this enabled me to blend in, inconspicuously, with the locals.

It took me a while, but I finally realized that I was 'American', not 'German-American'. I realized that to be an American was a state of mind.

[Cordova Belle]

An incredible article. Heart-rending. Thanks so much for posting this.

[dennisw]

This guy is great. He worked for the Washington Post and was sent to Africa. He wrote a book about Africa and how much he appreciated the USA when he returned. (He is Black)

[Liberty Valance]

Thanks for posting this excellent article. A must read for my family and friends.

Liberty

[4CJ]

READ this! a real eyeopener, it's painful to read, but well worth your time.

Valin - fantstic post. It speaks volumes.

[XBob]

112 - "The American says, "Someday, I'm going to live in this house!"

What a great story, and that is exactly what my grandfather did.

As a second generation German-American, his mother, my great grandmother, did laundry for the people in the big house on the hill, and as a boy he carried it back and forth. It took him 40 years, but first he bought my grandma a washing machine, then he bought the big house on the hill (to hold it).

[firewalk]

bttt

[XBob]

Superb article Valin, many thanks.

MHGinTN, read what they are doing to 'born' people. I have some of it in SEA. Let's work on solving these problems.

[fourdeuce82d]

It is heartbreaking

yup.