Harvard Sociologist Wilson Says Moynihan Report ‘Prophetic’ - Higher Education

Harvard Sociologist Wilson Says Moynihan Report ‘Prophetic’ - Higher Education: WASHINGTON — Calling the 1965 Moynihan Report “prophetic,” Harvard sociologist William Julius Wilson on Thursday said that the controversial report’s call for “national action” has largely gone unheeded and that publicly funded interventions are needed to mitigate negative employment trends that hurt Black and Latino families.

“I suggest these kinds of broad-based initiatives with few illusions that they are politically feasible,” said Wilson, the Lewis P. and Linda L. Geyser University Professor at Harvard University, during a lecture at the National Press Club.

Despite the political obstacles, Wilson maintained that a “more inclusive, far-reaching initiative would elevate the skills and job opportunities” for those who need work.