As barriers against the hiring of Negroes begin to fall, a new problem is becoming ever more visible: too few of them have the skills to compete effectively in a technological society. Traditional training methods have had only limited success in preparing Negroes for the job market. Consequently, anti-poverty warriors have been deeply impressed by the methods and results of Philadelphia's Rev. Leon Sullivan, a self-taught prophet of self-propulsion.
Sullivan, 44, a strapping (6 ft. 5 in.) West Virginia-born Baptist minister, discovered the complexity of what he calls the '?Q.N." (for Qualified Negro) problem in the early '60s. After opening...