John McWhorter writes that Sammy Davis, Jr. had great talents but wasted them on mimicry. "For Davis," he adds, "the important thing was getting to hang around with famous white people. In fact, one inconvenient obstacle between Davis and an engaged black identity was that he wished he were white." We talk with McWhorter about his critique of Sammy Davis, Jr. as a failed African-American.

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John McWhorter, Contributing Ed, City Journal