Past the Debt

Misty Copeland, a very light-skinned black ballerina with the American Ballet Theater, has been appointed "principal dancer", after 15 years with the company. Fine. But, the real news is that it has taken ABT 75 years to have a black woman in that position. So, the cause for celebration speaks volumes about how slowly black people have progressed toward full equality and integration in the U.S.

In a very real way, it is embarrassing, to say the least, that a country takes so long to accord its black people the recognition they deserve for their talent.

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