My husband grew up poor in a very liberal black family. His mom n sister have been on welfare for the better part of their lives. When I met him in 18 years ago he was just starting out in his career after a very rough time in his teens n 20s. He was, as he put it, a "typical inner city black man with no future"; he was very liberal and angry. I, being a southern white conservative, had absolutely nothing in common with him, yet we clicked. As he grew more successful I saw the slow but definite change in his views. His mother n sister refused to accept me into the family and the more successful he became then more his mother accused of trying to be like "whitey". He started to see his family not as victims of racism but as victims of the black establishment. Why is a black man who is successful and conservative a "trader" to the black community? According to my husband it's envy and hate. The leaders of the black community don't want blacks to succeed. If they do, then the power is lost. My husband didn't vote for Obama in either election because of his policies n liberal views. But his family thinks it's because he has been brain washed by the white community. That living and working around successful whites has made him forget where he came from. On the contrary, being around successful whites has made him only try harder to be the best in his field. He wanted the whites he worked with to see he made it because of his hard work and not because he needed affirmative action to get where he was. I admit, it hasn't been easy for him. His family, still after all these years, hardly speak to me, they don't invite us to family functions, and his sister n her boyfriend think he is an "Uncle Tom". The fact that, in spite of all this, he still loves his family and helps them financially makes me love him all the more. I have also noticed that as much as his family ridicules him for his success, they always, always take his money. Is it coincidence that my husband n Justice Thomas have that same common theme weaved throughout their lives? My husband doesn't think so. He knows how hateful the black community can be to those that dare to try to get out of the ghetto. You would think that that kinda of success would be celebrated, but it's not. As for my family, they love him like a son n accepted him the minute I brought him home to meet them. Go figure