Assimilation

I enjoyed William Raspberry’s metaphor of people living in their ethnic islands until they decide to leave them and join the mainland or become “Americanized” (Commentary, July 4). But I am left puzzled as to why he believes it is up to “white people to answer” the question if blacks can become “Americanized.”

Who are these white individuals or groups that he believes hold this enormous power to decide who can become “‘Americanized”? There is no group of people that holds this power, only individuals who must decide where in life they want to place themselves. If one wishes to focus his or her thoughts on why he or she cannot succeed, there will be no shortage of excuses and conspiracies, real or imagined.

Raspberry states that black pessimists believe the successes of Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods or Colin Powell occurred only because the “system” allowed them, in exchange for their assimilation. This is not only terribly shortsighted, but insulting, because it ignores those individuals’ personal initiatives, struggles and sacrifices.

MICHAEL SAPPHIRE

Van Nuys