Why were only three blacks accepted this year into New York City’s competitive Stuyvesant High School? Because that is the number of blacks who passed the admissions test—a detail not even alluded to until the fifth paragraph of the New York Times story on this alleged scandal. Why did only three blacks (out of 777 admittees) pass the admissions test? Because, on average, blacks’ academic skills are so low. Nationally, the percentage of black 12th graders with advanced math skills is essentially zero on a national sample. Why continue to point out this doleful reality, which most well-meaning Americans would rather ignore? Because unless we understand that the low representation of blacks in meritocratic institutions, whether Stuyvesant High School or NASA, is due to the academic skills gap and not to systemic racism, we will continue to sabotage civilizational progress. (The next question: Why the persistent academic skills gap? This is the thorniest question of all.)