You can't have a rational argument with some on this board about race. I'm sure someone will call Sowell an Uncle Tom.
Just as there are legitimate racial issues, there are fanatics that realize as long as racial issues are perceived to be a problem, they will retain fame and power, a la Sharpton and Jackson. Look how Cosby has been vilified by other prominent African Americans. My dad lives in the "Rust Belt" and Cosby was invited to attend a church conference but was "uninvited" by the black church es in the area.