Summary

Truth is something that is difficult to accept; goodness is less certain. The problem with many political arguments today is that they are not focused on what is true, but rather “an individual’s idea of what is good” (109). For the Black community, Owens argues, “goodness” is often synonymous with “free stuff” (109). Owens uses as an example Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal, which a 2004 analysis showed that “government interventions prolonged the Great Depression by several years” (109). FDR promised Black voters that they could benefit from his New Deal, but the National Recovery Act (NRA) proved to be disastrous to the Black community. It empowered unions that refused membership to Black workers, prevented employers from hiring unskilled blacks, and left southern Black farmers landless, jobless, and incomeless. Despite this, Black voters continued to support FDR. Owens points to this contrast...