"Prior to capitalism, the way people amassed great wealth was by looting, plundering and enslaving their fellow man. Capitalism made it possible to become wealthy by serving your fellow man."

"A caged canary is safe but not free."

- Walter E. Williams

 On December 1st, 2020, Walter Williams, an American economist, passed away at the age of 84. Williams taught economics at George Mason University for over four decades and wrote about economics, race and politics. His writing on race and how the black community could best help itself were written from an economic perspective and with the principles of a free market economy in mind. His relevance today is poignant given the discourse on race in 2020 and, in particular, with regard to the question of what influence ‘oppression’ currently has, or has had, on the achievement capabilities of minority groups.

Williams grew up in Philadelphia and did not attain his degree until he was twenty-nine years old, studying economics at California State College. Following his degree, he went on to achieve his masters and PhD, both in economics, from the University of California. Prior to his higher education he worked several jobs before he was drafted into the US Marines during the Korean war, and because of the discrimination at the time towards blacks he found he was often given menial jobs to do. Williams did not have it in his character to take affronts to his liberty lightly and had a sense of humour in his acts of rebellion. On one such occasion he was instructed by an officer to paint a truck and that is exactly what he did. He painted the body, the tires, and the mirrors. He painted the whole truck in defiance. This was a man with spirit and determination to live his life by his terms. Another example of this is that Williams had a black belt in karate and when he was struck one night by three attackers, he put two of them in hospital. He was a man who would ‘suffer no fools’ (as the documentary of his life was named).

In William’s view the key to a successful life is to get an education, get any kind of job, get married before having children, and be a law-abiding citizen. These relatively simple ideas have a huge impact on one’s chance of success and stability in life. Getting any job can seem like an uncomfortable policy to pursue but the purpose is to build responsibility and gain experience which allows you to apply for jobs you really want down the line. With regard to oppression, his argument is that even with the historical examples of blatant oppression, such as America’s Jim Crow laws, the advancement of blacks is not hindered as much by these forms of discrimination as they have been by government intervention to help the black community which led to lower standards of education, the breakup of the family unit, higher unemployment and a tougher time entering the job market due to minimum wage laws. His book The State Against Blacks goes into this in detail.  

For some people, Williams had very radical views regarding the proper role of government and, as a result, his critics would argue that he was against the poor, or was ‘heartless’, but this was not the case. Williams was a staunch believer in personal liberty. His political views were limited government and maximum individual liberty and that a free-market economy was the most moral and efficient way to allow that liberty. He did not believe the government had the right to take a citizen’s property (i.e., in taxes) in order to give it to another citizen, and this was his criticism of the welfare state in America. In an article written by Thomas Sowell, Williams’ close friend over the last 50 years, after his friend’s death he pointed out the generosity of Williams’ charitable contribution both financially and through volunteering. Williams may not have believed the government had the right to give other people’s money away, but he believed individuals should help less fortunate people if they are able to, but through voluntary giving and not by government coercion.

Regardless of whether people agree with his views, he was a committed intellectual who loved teaching. He had expressed a desire to teach until the day he died, and this was exactly what happened. Williams taught on the same day he passed away. His work is well worth studying and his views offer an interesting point of reflection on what does and does not work within societies. A list of these follows:

The State Against Blacks

America: A Minority Viewpoint

All It Takes Is Guts: A Minority View

Liberty Versus the Tyranny of Socialism: Controversial Essays

Up From The Projects: An Autobiography

Race & Economics: How Much Can Be Blamed on Discrimination?