Jason L. Riley of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research writes in Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make It Harder for Blacks to Succeed (2016) argues how America’s welfare programs have actually prevent black Americans from getting ahead:

Upward mobility depends on work and family. Social programs that undermine the work ethic and displace fathers keep poor people poor, and perverse incentives put in place by people trying to help are manifested in black attitudes, habits and skills. Why study hard in school if you will be held to a lower academic standards?