Elder white men as experienced and smarter than the rest is growing into a myth. Like 150 years of so-called toothpaste improvements, these ruling patricians persisted in power by convincing people that they always had something new and effective to offer the world.
When, in fact, they remain pretty much baking soda in a new box. They still possess much to offer, of course, but on a selective basis and with more cherished conservative views (they add mint and get applause).
It’s time smart, younger people of any color or ethnicity were given easier access to positions of power and allowed to change the world with more egalitarian ideas. History tells us on hundreds of occasions that young leaders can achieve great things, from a young Octavian to Queen Elizabeth I to Peter the Great to Alexander Hamilton to Nelson Mandela and on and on — visionaries who changed their worlds in dramatic fashion starting in their early 20s.
A good example, 100 years ago this past week, a battle was won and a vision realized with a man named Harry T. Burn. It was a single action he took that changed the United States forever. Who is Harry?
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