Black people have always been used as a buffer in this country between powers to prevent class war.
The United States contributes to peace in both by serving as a buffer between and among regional powers that while not preparing for armed conflict do not fully trust one another.
I made a very conscious effort to finish 'The Cypress House' before 'So Cold the River' launched because I thought that would help build a buffer between my writing and any impact that came from either the success or the failure of that first book.
Real equality is immensely difficult to achieve it needs continual revision and monitoring of distributions. And it does not provide buffers between members so they are continually colliding or frustrating each other.
And partly the worst thing you could do in my family was need something from someone. So physical strength represented an avenue of self-sufficiency to me.