This is the reality in which Rev . Wright and other African - Americans of his generation grew up . They came of age in the late fifties and early sixties , a time when segregation was still the law of the land and opportunity was systematically constricted . What ´ s remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination , but rather how many men and women overcame the odds ; how many were able to make a way out of no way for those like me who would come after them .