The greatest civil rights challenge of our time -- The facts of the matter -- "Okay, we have a black-white achievement gap. So what?" -- In search of explanations -- The origins of the problem -- Yes, we can close the achievement gap! -- What's leadership got to do with it? -- Today's shortage of authentic African American leaders -- Eliminating the achievement gap : what authentic African American leaders must do -- The way forward : a call to service -- Appendix A. Sources for quality information on the black-white achievement gap -- Appendix B. Suggested reading list on African American leadership.