On campus, grim statistics for African-American men

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

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Bill Maxwell is on the right track and as soon as he drops the racism crutch, he'll begin to see the fruits of his labor. He seemed to get it but has reverted to throwing the race-card into the equation. It is an election year, however, this pandering to the Left is self-defeating

July 2001 - Bill Maxwell: We have no leaders to save our black men ***In every part of the nation -- Miami, Cincinnati, Chicago, Newark, Los Angeles, New York, New Orleans, Houston, Atlanta -- many black males seem determined to self-destruct. We will not gain ground by blaming whites for this sorry state of affairs. This is a crisis of our own making, and only we can fix it. Our collective lethargy -- our lack of rage -- is the greatest sin. Fixing this problem should be at the top of every black person's agenda.***

Clarence Page: What black parents must do now ... ***With those findings and many others in mind, we should never make too much of the impact that teen culture may have on achievement. But we certainly shouldn't make too little of it, either.

Your attitude, in large measure, determines your altitude, as I once heard Jesse Jackson say. Your first step in achieving is to believe that you can achieve.

There is no shame in the mere fact that some groups show different levels of interest and performance in education and other skills. It is only a shame if the low performers don't do something to improve.

Asian-Americans outperform whites academically, for example, yet no one blames racism for white "underachievement." Similarly, the rest of us should not reject useful insights about our children, either, even when it is a little painful to hear.

By facing obvious realities openly and honestly, we can begin to encourage a self-image among black youths that will help them to value their brains as much as their basketballs or the "bling-bling" and "ching-ching" of rap stars on MTV and BET.***

October 2003 - Walter Williams: No excuses part II*** Here's my question: Do parents, particularly black parents, know or even care about what's being done to their children in the name of education? Do they know that the A or B on their children's report card is worthless? Don't say the solution lies in more money unless you're prepared to show me great results with expenditures of $15,000 per student in Massachusetts and $13,000 in Washington, D.C., and skyrocketing education budgets elsewhere.***

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[liberallyconservative]

*ping*

[HIDEK6]

Talk about role models, I just watched the Sugar Bowl. That Snoop Doggy Dog person was featured during many commercial breaks.

I couldn't understand a word he said.

[Siamese Princess]

Talk about role models, I just watched the Sugar Bowl. That Snoop Doggy Dog person was featured during many commercial breaks.

I couldn't understand a word he said.

You're probably better off not knowing what he said.

[HIDEK6]

Whenever I listen to rap music, all I can think of is that song, "I'm a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas."

[Siamese Princess]

Whenever I listen to rap music, all I can think of is that song, "I'm a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas."

I'm sure that many people will be enjoying that tune even a century from now.

[HIDEK6]

"...Well, sir, she sighed and she cried,

said Burnside's died,

committed suicide,

So I turned around,

Walked out the door,

an' I'm never gonna do it again. Aahhh'm a

Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas, and you

oughta see me do my stuff.

etc.

[bimbo]

Maxwell’s logic is flawed as he equates “college enrollment” with “education.”

[vetvetdoug]

Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas was a tune with the melody lifted from Robert Johnson's Hot Tamales

With all of the affirmative action and minority scholarships, the Negro College Fund, and the intense recruitment of blacks for diversity, there is no reason for the grim statistics quoted other than the obvious. The Bell Curve states the facts and one cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

[Nick Danger]

a parenting initiative has to be established, an initiative that forces parents and children to become introspective and diligent.

What sort of "initiative" is it that "forces" parents to do this or that with their children? Who is in charge of such an initiative, and what sort of things do they get to "force" parents to do?

Curiousity and a thirst for knowledge must come from inside; these are qualities that cannot be "forced" on anyone.

I dunno. Sounds to me like just another gubment program where the smart people wearing suits want to play at animal husbandry with the po' folks. Haven't we had enough of those already? Isn't that how we got here in the first place?

[mhking]

we cannot afford to live as victims

If Maxwell would get off of racism as a crutch, I think we could have a meeting of the minds.

Black conservative ping

If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)

Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.

[Future Snake Eater]

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.

Such as grades or studying or working?

[TexasCajun]

I would just be happy if the African-American man would support his out-of-wedlock children so I don't have to!

What is the statistic now for fatherless children in the African-American home?

Talk about the proverbial Elephant in the Living Room!

Fix the African-American family first and then complain about college graduation statistics. ..the truth hurts sometimes!

[ClearCase_guy]

The obstacles to black males earning college degrees are many, some seemingly intractable. They include:

inferior public education before college -- Destroy the unions, end government invovlement in education
the absence of black men as role models -- Blacks need to work on that
low expectations from teachers and other adults
-- "other adults"? A flaw in black culture, they need to fix it
low self-esteem -- Got it backwards. Achieve success and self-esteem will follow
black men's own low aspirations -- Blacks need to work on that
and their tendency to drop out of high school in disproportionate numbers. -- Blacks need to work on that

I don't see Racism as a contributing factor here at all.

[jalisco555]

White men, on the other hand, graduated at a rate of 59 percent

Buried in the article is this statistic which I find very telling. Even among the "privileged" there is a 41% failure rate. There is something very wrong with the whole system of college admissions if this is true.

[JasonC]

"our lack of rage -- is the greatest sin"

"black men make up 41 percent of the inmates in federal state, and local prison"

Trust me, a lack of rage is not the problem, and more rage is not going to fix it.

[madprof98]

. . . black men's own low aspirations . . .

Exactly what are young men supposed to aspire to when the only males in their lives are occasional studs who sleep over with mama? Since Daniel Patrick Moynihan issued his warning that the black family was in danger of collapse, the very worst has happened. Today 70% of black kids are born into single-parent female-headed "families," and many of the others end up in broken homes as well. Without male guidance, the girls turn out like their mothers and the boys end up on the streets until the police stick them in jail. It's no surprise at all. The few who make it out of this madness are the surprises.

[Pharmboy]

From Family First:

The illegitimacy rate among African-Americans in 1965 was 26%. Today, the rate is 68% and climbing. In inner cites, the figure is typically in excess of 80%. The illegitimacy rate among white Americans has risen tenfold, from 2.29% in 1960 to 22% today.

It was the welfare state that killed the black family.

[metesky]

the absence of black men as role models

There are plenty of black men (and women) out there to serve as role models. As I see it, the problem lies with the media and politicians who would rather pander to the Sharptons and Jacksons than extol the virtues of the men and women who have climbed the ladder through hard work and perseverance.

I remember a few years back when the CEO of one of our major food companies died (can't remember which company). The man was black and I was surprised I had never heard of him.

I also remember one black guy I saw interviewed on TV and the gist of what he was saying was along Jeffersonian lines: "What do I care if some fool doesn't like me strictly because of my skin color? I'm not going to let fools like that stop my quest for excellence."

I do agree with the author on the importance of reading in the house. Books, newspapers and magazines are more important than TV. Too many parents of all colors and persuasions use TV as a babysitting device.

Google: Black Corporate Executives