On October 30, 1997, Dr. Asa G. Hilliard, III delivered the Ninth Annual Benjamin E. Mays Lecture on the campus of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. In his lecture, Dr. Hilliard questions whether educators have the will to help children succeed in school. He decries a culture of "institutionalized low standards in schools" and argues that flawed assumptions have led educators to believe that children are not capable of achievement. Hilliard cites the work of such educators as Shinichi Suzuki in Japan, Fu-Kiau Bunseki in Congo, and Abdulalim Shabazz of Clark Atlanta University as examples of excellence in teaching. He also criticizes the work of Charles Murray, particularly his book The Bell Curve, arguing that many in society accept its conclusions about the academic abilities of poor and minority students.
