Author: Jason Riley

Publisher: Encounter Books

ISBN: 978-1-59403-725-2


Mr. Jason Riley, author of Please Stop Helping Us, works for the Wall Street Journal as an editorial board member. He has also contributed to Fox News. He resides in New York with his wife and family.

This book opens up with the civil rights movement and many times throughout reminds us of this pivotal point in history. More specifically, this [book] is a diatribe about how the Leftists have hindered progress for the black community at large despite believing they were acting and enacting legislation to the contrary. I happen to be a liberal and do not take exception to what Mr. Riley suggests, but believe they [leftists] intended to help and not precipitate government subsistence as a generational means for living and caring for one’s family.

For instance, Mr. Riley suggests that “…soft on crime laws that make black neighborhoods more dangerous…” (2014, p.3) Furthermore, “Upward mobility depends on work and family. Social programs that undermine the work ethic and displace fathers keep people poor…” (p.4) “…the real culprit is black behavior…” Therefore, would it not be better to “Ask if the negro cannot stand on his own two legs, let him fall also. All I ask is, give him a chance to stand on his own legs!” (p.5)

Mr. Riley compares the achievement of Asians to that of Blacks where he states that “Today Asian Americans are the nation’s best-educated and highest-earning racial group. …49 percent of Asians age 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree..” (2014, p.22) “Black have become their own worst enemy,… The notion that racism is holding back blacks as a group, or better black outcomes cannot be expected until racism has been vanquished is a dodge.” (p.33)

Real issues holding blacks back stems first and foremost from “..the lack of live-in fathers also overwhelmingly a black problem, regardless of poverty status…” (2014, p.37) “…more than 70% of black children are born to unwed mothers.”

With regard to education Mr. Riley says “…teachers who were setting lower standards for black kids had “good intentions”….”But it had the effect of leading some black kids to believe that they were doing better in school than they really were.” (2014, p.46) “…ignoring or indulging this isn’t going to help close the learning gap.” I totally concur.

Conversely, immigrant black children fare better, educationally, than American blacks. “African American students whose primary language is English perform significantly worse in math and reading than black students who speak another language at home.” (2014, p.48) Immigrant families tend to foster an environment where their children, especially those in middle-school, prepare for admissions tests on the weekends. (paraphrase, p.50) “The culture places a high value on education.” Furthermore, “black cultural attitudes toward work, authority, dress, sex, and violence have also proven counterproductive, inhibiting the development of the kind of human capital that has lead to socioeconomic advancement for other groups. … A culture that takes pride in ignorance and mocks learnedness has a dim future.”

Regarding crime Mr. Riley states “Black culture today not only condones delinquency and thuggery, but celebrates it to the point where blacks have adopted jail fashion in the form of baggy, low-slung pants and oversized T-shirts. Hip-hop music immortalizes drug dealers and murderers.” (2014, p.51) “Rappers have long expressed pride in spreading degeneracy among black youths.” How do we, as a nation, address this injustice and move forward?

“The public continues to associate more spending with better education results. … “the evidence demonstrated that spending more money on schools is not key to shrinking the achievement gap.” (2014, p.115) About the AFT and NEA Mr. Riley offers the following. Combined they are 4.5 million strong. “..on behalf of these members that unions fight to keep open the most violent and poorest-performing schools; block efforts to send the best teachers to the neediest students; insist teachers be laid off based on seniority instead of performance….” (p.117) Those opposing charter schools may be interested to note that “These days it is mostly charter schools that are closing the achievement gap.” (p.122)

The aforementioned are but a few of the topics that Mr. Riley tackles in Please Stop Helping Us. I have been an educator at the high/middle school level in inner city Memphis, TN and the private schools located in Asheville, NC, as well as the collegiate level at the University of Memphis and I totally enjoyed this read and the facts Mr. Riley submitted as proof. I believe you will too!


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