PLATFORM : Black Self-Help

As an individual, I support Clarence Thomas because he believes blacks should adopt a philosophy of self-help, self-empowerment and self-improvement.

The black community should find ways to ensure that some of our children--those who are not headed for professions as accountants, doctors and lawyers--have access to vocational skills.

If you have a skill, you can form your own business and hire other people and help the American economy. Clarence Thomas is saying that if blacks think in terms of self-help, we wouldn’t be without a skill or unemployed. If we reached that point, we wouldn’t have to depend on others.

Affirmative action has created opportunities for many people, but it hasn’t always worked. In the old days, we (blacks) created our own institutions--for example, black colleges--when we faced discrimination. If we’re denied access to the economic mainstream, we should also form our own businesses and institutions, because the days of depending on government are just about gone.