Epilogue Summary and Analysis

In Steele's youth, he is caught up in the black power movement. He believes the movement is inevitable given the achievements of blacks. It is also positive in many ways. It makes blacks unapologetic about who they are. However, it provides no blueprint about how to move forward. Steele also finds little in the black power movement about how to be himself. Instead, black identity is simply understood as righteous and collective anger. Steel increasingly finds his sense of individuality in conflict with black power's collectivist emphasis.

Steele emphasizes that he still experiences racial slights and discrimination. However, he wants other blacks to understand that this need not block them from taking the opportunities before them. Their fate does not have to lie in society's hands. Blacks often want to let society take care of them because they are afraid and...