On campus, grim statistics for African-American men

St. Petersburg Times ^ | January 5, 2004 | Bill Maxwell

[Cincinatus' Wife]

African-Americans should be afraid - very afraid.

We have many reasons to be afraid, but two that should cause the most alarm are the low number of black men in college and the low number of black men who are graduating from college.

Nationally, a mere quarter of the 1.9-million black men between 18 and 24 attended college in 2000, the last year the American Council on Education reported such statistics. By contrast, 35 percent of black women in the same age group and 36 percent of all 18- to 24-year-olds were attending college.

A grimmer statistic, according to the American Council on Education, is that the graduation rate of black men is the lowest of any population. Only 35 percent of the black men who enrolled in NCAA Division I schools in 1996 graduated within six years. White men, on the other hand, graduated at a rate of 59 percent; Hispanic men, 46 percent; American Indian men, 41 percent; and black women, 45 percent.

Where are the black men, why are so few on our college campuses and why are so few graduating?

"In 1999 there were 757,000 black men in federal, state and local prisons," according to the Autumn 2003 issue of the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. "In 1999 . . . there were 604,200 African-American men enrolled in higher education in the United States. Therefore, there were 25 percent more black men in prison in the United States than were enrolled in institutions of higher education. Today, black men make up 41 percent of the inmates in federal state, and local prison, but black men are only 4 percent of all students in American institutions of higher education."

Many black and white educators at major colleges and universities, including Amherst, historically black Howard, Swarthmore and Wesleyan, are trying to help end this crisis. Several years ago, the University of Georgia established the African-American Male Initiative, a research program with the purpose of removing the hurdles to college enrollment and graduation for black men.

The obstacles to black males earning college degrees are many, some seemingly intractable. They include inferior public education before college, the absence of black men as role models, low expectations from teachers and other adults, low self-esteem, black men's own low aspirations and their tendency to drop out of high school in disproportionate numbers.

Yes, these are serious obstacles to college enrollment and graduation for African-American men, but, taken together, they represent the least important part of the problem. A role model, for example, means nothing or next to nothing to a child who is ill-prepared to emotionally and intellectually apprehend the significance of the role model's accomplishments.

The seeds for success, especially academic success, are most effectively planted at home. The presence of books in the home and parents who read and discuss ideas and current affairs almost always influence children to read and to care about things of the mind. Too many African-American homes are headed by parents, single or otherwise, who lack interest in the long-term efficacy of education, who do not insist that their children learn.

The efforts of the University of Georgia and others are to be applauded. But a parenting initiative has to be established, an initiative that forces parents and children to become introspective and diligent. At the core of the black male crisis is our failure to assume total responsibility for the destiny of our children - our future. Nearly 100 years ago, educator and civil rights attorney Charles Hamilton Houston said of black people and education: "Without education, there is no hope for our people and without hope, our future is lost."

By any means necessary, black adults must teach black children to take hold of their lives. While we should continue to acknowledge the debilitating effects of racism, we cannot afford to live as victims. We must forge a world of self-determination parallel to that of society's racism, an evil that is not disappearing any time soon.

External programs, such as Georgia's African-American Male Initiative, are good things, but they cannot replace black people's own will to succeed academically. Until we look inside ourselves and change our perspective on education, the grim statistics will continue to pile up, and our men will fall further behind and the dreaded cliche - black males are "an endangered species" - will become a reality.

We should be afraid - very afraid.

[summer]

RE your post #72 - And I would be lying if I said that I would want to teach in a rough neighborhood again

Thanks for your thoughtful response. And, your very honest statement above. I don't want to teach in that kind of neighborhood again either, and I really wonder how that whole problem will ever be solved. At one time I thought if I made more money I would do it again, but now I realize there is no amount of money that would induce me to return there. I realize now many other teachers feel the same way. So, who teaches those kids? I have no idea. I only know I prefer my life now. I try to give what I can, but some situations are too heartbreaking for me to bear. How some of those kids make it day to day, I have no idea anymore.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Ain't that the truth.

LOL

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Biggest mistake anyone can make in any place is to stop learning....

Now you're beginning to sound like my mother! Ha!

The point you make in your post, about all being grouped and defined by part, is something that I have always found so frustrating. It's unfair and destructive. If the black voting monolith could be broken up, that notion could be challenged.

[John O]

Not sure when all black people got defined by what happens in the big city...

Because that's all we non-blacks ever get exposed to. I separate the black culture into the inner city and the suburbs (which includes rural and everything else) for just that reason. I know lots of successful blacks. Normal people just like you or I. People who work hard, try to raise good kids, go to church, play softball etc. But watching the music world or the news and all you see is the inner city culture. (Now there may be some black family type programs on now but I don't catch much network TV so I don't know)

Of course, one could argue that Harlem used to be a nice place... East St. Louis could use some work...

And when did these areas start their downhill slide?

Funny thing about poor people... They define themselves more on their condition than the color of their skin... In the farm community, there were people with choices, people without hope, people hungry for a change, people that understood the big picture and knew where they stood, and those blinded by the light buzzing around trying to keep warm...

Again you have to separate the communities. In the inner city the poor define themselves as black first. In the rest of the world they seem to be more color blind. Most of the people I know never refer to themselves as black or mention racism (although in some places it still exists)

The black community outside the city seems to do OK. But the ones in the city culture are being dragged down to their deaths. The whole inner-city black culture is aimed against success. After all, you don't want to act white. Once people get free from the inner city culture then it becomes far easier for them to succeed (My friend from Harlem as an example, While they still lived in the inner city in Milwaukee they were not part of the inner city culture)

[John O]

some would use this article to point out racism, while those some would use it to justify personal prejudice, when the real answer stems from far more complicated societal ills which too few leaders, black or white have the balls to deal with.

This is the core truth. Worth stating again

[fso301]

First of all, not everyone needs to go to college. Nothing at all wrong with being a blue collar worker. The country needs lots of trades people.

A terrible societal dis-service is done by making people think they're nothing if they don't go to college. Only a few university programs give graduates hope of a white collar career. Most do nothing in the way of providing a young person with the tools necessary to support themselves and a family.

Whats wrong with vo-tech? A brick mason with a little ambition can become the owner of a variety of different construction related busineses. Most any tradesperson can progress to being a businessperson without requiring multi-million dollar venture capital funding.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Good points.

[johnb838]

Government must establish an aspiration quotient which makes sure that no person's aspiration are higher than another person's.

I think this one can be easily managed through the tax code.

[dwd1]

This is the first "simple truth" that I can agree with. I am willing to admit that I am part of the problem because I took the education and ran.... I worked hard and after being in the military, going to school, and then got as far away as I could from the less affluent areas as I could... But I should say that in those communities, there are churches, there are schools, there are even people who pay their bills on time (OK..This is just a rumor!)

And I think that after speaking to my father, I under something else that is true.... Back in the 60's, a lot of black people moved into the city looking for opportunity that wasn't there or they were not prepared for... City life and small community life are different.... And one could argue that in a small town where people give you a hand up is a lot different from getting a handout in the city... Same goal but different results...

[dwd1]

That is going to take some work...

[dwd1]

Ask a good question...You will always get an honest answer from me... Just wish I had a better answer.... You must be a teacher... You ask really hard questions.... :-)

[John O]

And one could argue that in a small town where people give you a hand up is a lot different from getting a handout in the city... Same goal but different results...

And this is where my objections to the welfare programs, and my blaming them for a lot of the black family's demise comes from.

God bless you dwd1. It's been a good discussion

[gipper81]

MANY students should never been enrolled in college, black, white or whatever.

Imagine what would happen at some universities if you saw a 5-10% drop in student enrollment.

[cynicom]

Yes, some professors might have to teach over four hours a week.

[gipper81]

Thanks for your thoughtful response. And, your very honest statement above. I don't want to teach in that kind of neighborhood again either, and I really wonder how that whole problem will ever be solved. At one time I thought if I made more money I would do it again, but now I realize there is no amount of money that would induce me to return there. I realize now many other teachers feel the same way. So, who teaches those kids? I have no idea. I only know I prefer my life now. I try to give what I can, but some situations are too heartbreaking for me to bear. How some of those kids make it day to day, I have no idea anymore.

Correct. The amount of children that are being 'wherehoused' in school in this country, instead of taught, is simply amazing. Mostly courtesy of the NEA, your federal government, political correctness, fairness ... and the other usual reasons and the other usual suspects.

[dwd1]

Age old problem.... Lower standards or uplift the applicants...

I will say this much... I think appreciation for education is a value that needs to be glorified to a higher level and appreciated in all communities... There are not enough people that have a tradition of education.... I think part of that has to do with the way things were.... Example... Kennedy's have been going to Harvard, Yale, and Brown for quite sometime.... Except for the black colleges, we all know that it was not that long ago that many institutions of higher learning "discouraged" black students..... Funny to me how Bakke got so upset about the way he was denied an opportunity but I think there were also a few black people that faced exactly what he faced. Many did learn how it felt to be on the receiving end of institutional racism and I think it has helped to a certain degree..

On admission standards, there are always community colleges and other ways of raising one self up...

What needs to be overcome in the black community is the cynicism that comes from believing that if one jumps through all the hoops to get access to an opportunity, the opportunity will be there for the most qualified person... (Who moved my cheese?)... What we do not always have to share with our young people is the doors that are opened because one has the education.... What we have to often are the stories about what happens when someone does not...

Benjamin Davis, Jr's story about how he was silenced for four years, Chappie James, Charles Drew, Clarence Thomas, etc...good and inspiring stories... You look at someone like Tony Dungy who is a pro football coach and see his college professor father and you realize that the stories are out there...

I look at my own father who did not get much in the way of formal education (he is however, a distinguished graduate from the school of hard knocks) and I realize that he wanted to go to school but faced difficult choices 50-60 years ago... Sometimes, you can learn to appreciate education because you see what you want and sometimes you can learn to appreciate and therefore, aggressively pursue education because of what you don't want...