Who We Are
The Talented Tenth is a term that designated a leadership class of African descendant Americans in the early 20th century. The term was created by White Northern philanthropists, then publicized by W. E. B. Du Bois in an influential essay of the same name, which he published in September 1903. His book the Negro Problem begins, ”The Negro race, like all races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men. The problem of education, then, among Negroes must first of all deal with the Talented Tenth; it is the problem of developing the Best of this race that they may guide the Mass away from the contamination and death of the Worst, in their own and other races.” These sentences were effectively a throw-down against Booker T. Washington’s strident advocacy of industrial training as the ideal curriculum for the daughters and sons for the former slaves, rather than a classical liberal arts education, the sort of education that Du Bois had received at Fisk and then at Harvard. So, for Du Bois, how Negroes should be educated and Washington’s position about it was quite personal.
We understand both passionate men’s perspectives and will not declare either right or wrong, but believe that both arguments are sound, and represent two sides of the same coin. For this reason, we believe that we must have a no man, woman or child left behind approach. This requires us to work tirelessly to identify an individual’s gifts and talents, whether they be with their hands or mind, both must be made effective and productive.
Within the American system of Capitalism are core principles of free markets and competition. At the heart of competition is a sense of fair play and equal opportunity. Currently, here in the US and many places worldwide, this is not the case. As you know, billions of people around the globe need on-ramps because they are facing incalculable odds. Many start life without the proper resources necessary to live, much less to compete in a global economy, which allows the establishment to entrench their positions by creating and overseeing systems that benefit the few versus the many. When so many are locked out, we hold the future of humanity hostage and put a stranglehold on our children's possibilities. The future of humanity depends on our ability to provide access and develop systems that will benefit all global community citizens.
We believe that God endowed each of us with inalienable rights and these rights include the ability to pursue happiness. No one group or geographic location has the trademark on good ideas, concepts, or intelligent designs. We must cultivate an environment where the best ideas flourish no matter where the idea originated.
Ultimately, our mission is to make a mark that cannot be erased by removing the shackles that currently limit understanding, recognizing that capital is a tool that can be used to unharness the masses' creative ability. We must invest in our forgotten ones and prove that social consciousness will be more productive and profitable over time than the current systems that benefit the few. We must work diligently in creating a meritocracy where character, beliefs, and ideas are the deciding factor. Not those same superficial measuring sticks that brought us to this point, where the entitled continue to fortify their destructive positions while perpetuating the haves' narrative and the have-nots. The status quo is unacceptable; we must harness the power of capital, investment, innovation, technology, creativity, and love to deliver us from this problem. Who are we? We are The New Tenth. We seek to prepare our young men and women to excel in the creative ability that God has given to them. No matter the size or portion, to be relevant in this age and the next. By establishing a new way of thinking, living, working, and succeeding.
