The Importance of Thomas Sowell’s Legacy

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to watch Thomas Sowell: Common Sense in a Senseless World multiple times. Jason Riley, Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow & Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Member, exquisitely narrates the film. The documentary shares the story of Thomas Sowell’s fascinating journey to becoming one of the most influential free-market thinkers of our time. 

One of the most intriguing parts of Thomas’ life is his untraditional upbringing. Had things played out differently, the world may have never known his name. 

After Thomas lost both of his parents at a young age, his uneducated great-aunt and her two adult children in rural North Carolina raised him. Thomas and his family moved to Harlem where he was introduced to the Harlem Public Library through a family friend, Eddie Mapp. This introduction sparked Thomas’ curiosity for learning.

Thomas attended a charter school for junior high, and later dropped out of high school as he was drafted into the Marine Corps as a photographer. After serving, Thomas went back to school where he studied under famed economist Milton Friedman. Surprisingly, Thomas was still a Marxist until he completed a summer internship with the U.S. Department of Labor.

The film goes into greater detail of his experiences at the institutions of higher education, like Cornell and UCLA, which he taught at during the 1960s. Sowell’s role in academia shifted when he joined the Hoover Institution at Stanford University as a Senior Fellow in 1980. His teaching days in the classroom were over, but he continued to educate and influence many more individuals through his research and writing.  

In early March, I had the pleasure of having a virtual discussion with Jason Riley about the film. I got the chance to ask him who his target audience for the film is and what he wanted them to take away from it. His response was not surprising. 

This film was intended to grab the attention of young adults, who are increasingly becoming supportive of socialistic ideas. This may sound odd, but this demographic needs to hear more stories like Sowell’s in order to really develop how they view the world around them. 

Throughout his work on the film, Jason interacted with many individuals who had never heard of Thomas, so he wanted to create something that was not only engaging, but also informative. 

As a young professional, nearly 3 years out of college, I think this documentary does exactly what Riley intended. Sowells’ life is detailed thoroughly, highlighting younger individuals who were and continue to be influenced by him. One example is Eric July, a musical artist in Texas, who went through a similar ‘enlightenment’ and used Sowell’s work as inspiration. 

It’s disheartening that many young Americans have never heard of Sowell. Hopefully this documentary will make his story even more accessible. In the film, you’re introduced to Aaron Hunsaker, an Overstock.Com employee, who discovered Sowell through YouTube videos on Milton Friedman. Aaron talks about how he then fell down the “Thomas Sowell rabbit hole” and now applies Sowell’s ideas at the company.   

Whether you’ve been a long time fan of Thomas Sowell or you’ve never heard of him before, I highly recommend watching this film. 

Many of the chapters at America’s Future streamed parts of Thomas Sowell documentary with Jason Riley and were able to have a live Q&A afterwards. If an event like this interests you, become a member at America’s Future today!