Commentaries

A number of high profile Americans have worked to improve life for Africans. Among them are Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Oprah Winfrey. Their generosity has received plenty of attention by news organizations. By contrast, Americans who are not celebrities but have undertaken humanitarian projects in Africa and elsewhere have done so with little fanfare. One example is philosopher Robert Paul Wolff. In 1990 he established University Scholarships for South African Students, a foundation which has helped over twelve hundred young Africans earn college degrees.

Krista Tippett is known to regular NPR listeners as host of a weekly program about religion which first aired nationally in 2001 and which is distributed and produced by American Public Media. Recently she changed the name of the program from "Speaking of Faith" to "Being." Her work as an interviewer has brought her three major journalism awards, including a Peabody. In a book entitled Speaking of Faith, she tells us about the circuitous path that she has taken personally and professionally. (1)

In his autobiography, entitled Wins, Losses, and Lessons, (1) Coach Lou Holtz recounts two incidents in his senior year of high school which were a turning point in his life. In the first incident, Lou's high school coach visited his parents and urged them to send him to college to earn a degree so that he could become a football coach. The coach explained to them that Lou had a special gift for learning and teaching football and that he would excel in that profession. This came as a shock to Lou's parents.

Thomas Jefferson affirmed that a democratic republic can survive and prosper only if the citizens are literate and well-informed. This is why he proposed tax-supported schools in every community and founded the University of Virginia. So, how is the America of 2010 faring by Jefferson's standard? We don't have Jefferson to ask but we do have Chris Hedges.