From Condi: The Condoleezza Rice Story:

Her family, her parents - what incredible people they were. They were such loving, supporting, stimulating and amazing people. They put all of that into Condi so she would have every opportunity to be what she wanted to be. Starting in one of the most segregated cities in America in the 1960s, they turned it around. They made her believe she was invincible.

As I said before, family is a major factor in success. Parents go unhonored far too often. Maybe we should create a national award for excellence in parenting. I'm sure that Colin Powell's parent would qualify, as well. The reason the University of Michigan doesn't give points for being Asian is parental influence. I'm sure that prejudice is still a problem for everybody in this nation, but the only way to overcome it is by disproving it.

This is one of the reasons for supporting commitment and marriage. We can't afford for the government to replace the family, but even if we could, if would fail abjectly.