The existence of a small group of African Americans at the heart of the political establishment and at the pinnacle of corporate America is something that, just two decades ago, seemed unimaginable. How did they get there and what is the significance of their success? Beginning at Harvard, Gates travels to Washington, DC, and New York to ask if this new black power elite represents genuine progress for black America as a whole. Interviewees include Colin Powell, Russell Simmons, Vernon Jordan, Franklin Raines and the first African-American chess grandmaster in history, Maurice Ashley.