For many people reading the story of the other Wes Moore, the first reference they'll likely think of is HBO's "The Wire." How do you think that show affected the city of Baltimore?
From a P.R. perspective I don't know if it was the greatest thing for Baltimore, but it forced Baltimorians to have a conversation among ourselves about the city we want to be. It exposed parts of the city that even Baltimorians didn't know much about. We often don't understand what's happening elsewhere in our own city, which is fascinating. I think a lot cities have this split personality, but Baltimore really is a tale of two cities. A lot of folks in East Baltimore don't know West Baltimore.
There was a recent NPR piece arguing that your book represents a new way of looking at the black American family. Do you think that's true?
There's this whole idea of talking about the black family, and thinking, "This is who the black family is." But it's extraordinarily complicated. It's like saying, here's the Latino family. I think the book helps show the complexity of the black family - the fact we have families that are mixed immigrants, different family members enmeshed in different problems and trying to break free. Sometimes broad strokes do more harm than good.
Do you think it would have made a big difference in you life if a black president had been elected during your childhood?
I think it's fantastic we have President Obama. But if that kid in West Baltimore or in the Mississippi Delta can't see him or herself in that position - if it can't be real to them - it's not going to mean a whole lot. It's not just about putting more faces in positions of power, it's about helping that power translate to those kids. When people become involved in my life, and taught me to dream and think I could do X, Y, and Z as long as I was willing to work for it, that happened regardless of who was in the office. That was something I needed to do personally
Source: http://www.salon.com/2010/05/09/wes_moore_interview/
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