All is not lost for our young boys. The media is constantly portraying our boys as a threat to society or a lost cause. They are constantly being portrayed as the bad guys on television and the images are always negative. Well, I am here to tell you that what is being displayed is far from the truth. Are there problems in our communities? Yes, there are many problems but there are many wonderful things happening for our men.
Many outdated statistics and surveys are being used to send negative messages about the disparities of our boys. When in fact the drop out rate for high school and enrollment into college is less now then any generation in our history. Every year more and more black men enter college and that percentage has been increasing since 1990 when only 11% completed college. In 2010 that number was up to 15.8% and at the current rate it will reach 20% by the year 2020. We are not going backwards nor are we stagnant, our black men are on the move.
Are there more black men in jail than in college? Nope, in 2000 the number of black men in prison totaled 829,200 and in 2010 that number did increase to 844,600. In those same years the number of black men enrolled in a post secondary education was 717,491 in 2000 and 1,341,354 in 2010. Things are looking good right?
We must support our young men by keeping them focused and involved in positive and meaningful activities. There are many organizations all over the U.S., and in communities that have great things to offer our children. We have to constantly keep positive images before them to offset the negative ones displayed across main stream media. We have to build them up everyday by telling them that they are important, smart, and intelligent. If you have a child that has an interest in anything, sports, writing, drawing, or technology, encourage them by getting them involved with an organization that will help them cultivate those interest and skills.
I am excited and encouraged to witness history for our men, regardless of what people want you to believe we must have faith in our communities that things are getting better because guess what? They are!!
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