Dr. William B. Allen is emeritus Dean and Professor at Michigan State University. Prior to that, he served as Director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and as Dean and Professor at James Madison College of Michigan State University. Currently, he's scholar in residence at University of Colorado Boulder. He is the author of Rethinking Uncle Tom: The Political Thought of Harriet Beecher Stowe, George Washington: America's First Progressive, The Federalist Papers: A Commentary, The Essential Anti-Federalist, and Let the Advice Be Good: A Defense of Madison's Democratic Nationalism.

In this episode, Dr. Allen and I discuss his chapter, "Race and Economics: The Question of Human Agency" in the book, Race and Covenant.

Dr. Allen explains his critique of Rev. Martin Luther King’s observations and socio-economic recommendations in his book, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?

Dr. Allen laments that as a result of black history, many people judge blacks differently than their multiethnic counterparts. Blacks are judged or held to a separate and lower standard than their peers, which has the effect of excusing inexcusable behaviors. 

He also discusses King's misunderstanding of economics regarding the new, post-civil rights opportunities for blacks. He compares King's economic agenda with Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass' plans for black advancement.

Dr. Allen then explains how external intervention and dependency compromises black agency and the ability to determine their own fates.