According to many statistics and personal accounts, the numbers of black men on college campuses are decreasing. Equally alarming is the amount of unemployment among black males in cities like New York & Baltimore. Some contribute the decrease of black men in college to a dwindling focus on education in high school. Instead black males are steered towards athletics & entertainment. What can be done to reverse this trend? Is the rising unemployment among black males reflective of the decreasing number of college graduates? Is a college education necessary for a black man to get a good job in American society? Is this indeed a negative trend, or is it no cause for alarm?

According to many statistics and personal accounts, the numbers of black men on college campuses are decreasing. Equally alarming is the amount of unemployment among black males in cities like New York & Baltimore. Some contribute the decrease of black men in college to a dwindling focus on education in high school. Instead black males are steered towards athletics & entertainment. What can be done to reverse this trend? Is the rising unemployment among black males reflective of the decreasing number of college graduates? Is a college education necessary for a black man to get a good job in American society? Is this indeed a negative trend, or is it no cause for alarm?


I think a solution to this problem would be for professionals, male and female, to come to grade schools and middle schools and talk to our youth about what their options are after high schoo.

Unfortunately many parents are not giving their children the proper guidance. Some parents believe the schools should raise their children. I don't believe we can wait for these parents to become pro-active. With much that is given much is expected. Perhaps the black churches can step it, but I doubt it!

This is a Great Topic Brother Pan, thank your for starting. I want to add to Brother Sekhemu’s response:

Here are some solutions that I think would help increase the number of black men in college.

However, I would like to point out, before I begin, that this problem is just not exclusive to the African-American Community, this is another problem that affects all races; thus, the opinions provided can be applied to the plethora of races in our society.

1. Genesis

I think the root cause of this problem is the lack of encouragement for academic excellence within our nation and our communities. If we start early with programs and structured environments to encourage our young boys to learn, this will stay with them through their middle and high school years; thus leading them to college.

2. Academic Excellence is looked down upon in this society.

In the Black Community, people who are seeking to learn are considered nerds and sometimes-even sellouts. It is difficult for some kids because you got one crowd calling you a nerd and then you got another crowd calling you a sellout because you are learning. It is also more difficult for the young Black Male because some Black Females tend not to like you if you are smart or are trying to learn; thus, this negative reaction will cause a lot of young Black Men to pursue other interests which gain approval from their peers.

3. Pedagogy and Public Education

I think the Pedagogy of the entire American Education system needs to be revamped. Not every student learns the same. The current state of Public Education is in a crisis. Instead of training teachers to be diversified in their teach style, many colleges are pouring out teachers who lack any skills in recognizing the different learning patterns of our children. Their is also a demanding need for programs which in elementary school which encourage academic excellence. Too many times people try to tell you to learn when you get to HS or College and by then, it is too late. If you do not instill the want and need to learn early in child, it is going to be harder to instill it as an adult.

4. The Parents must Be Active in Learning.

I think another fault of this is the lack of parental involvement in their child’s academic affairs. Some parents feel like it is the job of the SCHOOL to teach their children. Parents need the balance the playstation2, Xbox, and other Non-Educational Television Programming that their children intake. A lot of kids are being instructed by their peers and the Media, simply because the parents are not involved. Parents need to create a home environment were academic excellence is excepted, lauded and encouraged. This environment can be created if the parents just took the time to read with their kids, help their kids study. Children from upper classes benefit from these environments and that one reason why they excel greater than that of the proletariat. However, I also think this is a societal issue as well. I think this society needs to address the overworking of parents, families are being decimated by labor in America. How can a parent create a learning environment at home when they always have to work overtime just to pay rent? Companies should be given incentives for giving more Maternity Leave and should create what I call Parental Leave. Parental Leave would enable a parent to take at least one day a week to spend at home with her or his child.

5. Locking up Wisdom

I think another problem that our community faces is the Locking up of our Wisdom or what you may call placing our elderly in nursing homes. If you have an elder in your family who is able and willing to help you raise and educate your child, I encourage you to let them assist you. Nowadays it takes a city to raise a child not just a village.

Thank you for reading my post and thank you Brother PanAfrica for starting this thread it is very important. If any of this is convoluted please let me know and I will clarify. Thank you once again for reading.

2. Academic Excellence is looked down upon in this society.

In the Black Community, people who are seeking to learn are considered nerds and sometimes-even sellouts. It is difficult for some kids because you got one crowd calling you a nerd and then you got another crowd calling you a sellout because you are learning. It is also more difficult for the young Black Male because some Black Females tend not to like you if you are smart or are trying to learn; thus, this negative reaction will cause a lot of young Black Men to pursue other interests which gain approval from their peers.


Thank you Brothers Sekhemu & Manasiac for responding. Both of you made excellent points. In my experience working in schools, I find that Black Males tend to focus on careers making fast money. Specifically they tend to gravitate towards athletics, music...even hustling in the absence of the previous two. I have nothing against Ballers or Rappers; however, considering that there are over 15 million black men in this country. It is unrealistic that every kid on the block is going to be in the NBA, NFL, or form their own record label. More realistic goals would be to become Bankers, Doctors, Lawyers, Office Managers...etc. We are perfectly capable of doing this; however, black boys are discouraged about thinking of these types of careers. Sadly this discouragement takes place not only among teachers (who have a limited view on what black men can achieve), but it is done even in the home. Quite frankly we need more black teachers to broaden the minds of our young black males....to show them there is more to life than what they see on TV.

Great thread. Glad you started it Brother Pan because somewhere else here we've had this discussion before as it's so important. All the comments thus far are excellent and on point. Brother Manasiac, your outline is very thorough and filled with common sense solutions. How simple and direct can it be? If only this problem was that simple though.

What makes this problem so complicated are the people required to solve it--all of us. I don't know where the problem begins nor where it will end. There was a time in our not so distant past when education was one of our number one priorities. In the past 30 years however, many of us have witnessed a vast difference in our attitudes about and approach to education in the public school system. As Brother Manasiac has pointed out and I agree, there is a combination of issues that are reasons for this change in attitude and behavior. But although Brother Manasiac has pointed out that this isn't just a Black issue but a societal issue, I want to focus my comments on what I think is happening with Black families today.

For one, I think that the nature of parenting has changed, and two, technology has changed the way we live and view the world. It's too easy to blame the decline of Black males in college to racism. If that was entirely true, then why are there so many sisters in college--aren't they Black? Although I believe that racism could play some role in this, I also think that we have too many opportunities available to us to counter that to a great degree. But it takes focus and willpower to make it through.

What has changed about parents today that was different among those that focused more on their children's education and welfare? What do we see as major differences among Black parents and why?

Technology has changed the culture within families today with video games, digital television, computers, etc., as Brother Manasiac wrote already, such that it creates a lot of noise and too many accessible distractions. Today's parents are spending a lot of time sitting as well, doing the same kinds of things.

I think many of us need to learn the value of diversification and I don't mean in the sense of our financial portfolios but in building our educational arsenal. Do Black people put all of their eggs in one basket instead of practicing "it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it" adage? A college degree may not seem like much to many of us, but what happens to those who find they need one but don't have one?

If our youth only want this or that--to be in the NBA or NFL, to make a lot of money fast or nothing at all, then don't you think that something is seriously wrong when that only happens to a very small fraction of a percent in this society and the majority who try end up back at home or worse, in the street?

Our children are diagnosed with ADD and ADHD, but I wonder how much of that is true or simply symptoms that our youth are spending far too much time in front of the television and/or playing video games? True or not though, that type of diagnosis tracks our children in some very negative ways which impacts how they are taught or not taught.

How many parents try to lessen the amount of time their children spend watching television or playing Xbox or Playstation games to see if their attention improves as it relates to other things? Not to create a double standard, parents need to practice this as well. If our children can't sit still and focus in the classroom, then why can many of them focus on the basketball court or playing field? What's the difference?

Anyway, these are just a few of my thoughts for now. I'll add more later as the discussion continues.

Peace,
Queenie :spinstar:

Great thread. Glad you started it Brother Pan because somewhere else here we've had this discussion before as it's so important. All the comments thus far are excellent and on point. Brother Manasiac, your outline is very thorough and filled with common sense solutions. How simple and direct can it be? If only this problem was that simple though.

What makes this problem so complicated are the people required to solve it--all of us. I don't know where the problem begins nor where it will end. There was a time in our not so distant past when education was one of our number one priorities. In the past 30 years however, many of us have witnessed a vast difference in our attitudes about and approach to education in the public school system. As Brother Manasiac has pointed out and I agree, there is a combination of issues that are reasons for this change in attitude and behavior. But although Brother Manasiac has pointed out that this isn't just a Black issue but a societal issue, I want to focus my comments on what I think is happening with Black families today.

For one, I think that the nature of parenting has changed, and two, technology has changed the way we live and view the world. It's too easy to blame the decline of Black males in college to racism. If that was entirely true, then why are there so many sisters in college--aren't they Black? Although I believe that racism could play some role in this, I also think that we have too many opportunities available to us to counter that to a great degree. But it takes focus and willpower to make it through.

What has changed about parents today that was different among those that focused more on their children's education and welfare? What do we see as major differences among Black parents and why?

Technology has changed the culture within families today with video games, digital television, computers, etc., as Brother Manasiac wrote already, such that it creates a lot of noise and too many accessible distractions. Today's parents are spending a lot of time sitting as well, doing the same kinds of things.

I think many of us need to learn the value of diversification and I don't mean in the sense of our financial portfolios but in building our educational arsenal. Do Black people put all of their eggs in one basket instead of practicing "it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it" adage? A college degree may not seem like much to many of us, but what happens to those who find they need one but don't have one?

If our youth only want this or that--to be in the NBA or NFL, to make a lot of money fast or nothing at all, then don't you think that something is seriously wrong when that only happens to a very small fraction of a percent in this society and the majority who try end up back at home or worse, in the street?

Our children are diagnosed with ADD and ADHD, but I wonder how much of that is true or simply symptoms that our youth are spending far too much time in front of the television and/or playing video games? True or not though, that type of diagnosis tracks our children in some very negative ways which impacts how they are taught or not taught.

How many parents try to lessen the amount of time their children spend watching television or playing Xbox or Playstation games to see if their attention improves as it relates to other things? Not to create a double standard, parents need to practice this as well. If our children can't sit still and focus in the classroom, then why can many of them focus on the basketball court or playing field? What's the difference?

Anyway, these are just a few of my thoughts for now. I'll add more later as the discussion continues.

Peace,
Queenie :spinstar:


Both my parents went to college and on to grad school. On my mothers side, women and to a lesser degree, men, have been going to college since reconstruction times. Where as my dad was a second generation college graduate

Historically black families in the south would send girls to college in larger numbers in order to protect them from the pervasive sexual assault on the part of white employers. The obstacles for males had more to do with not appearing uppity, or God forbid look at a white woman with lust.

In short the overall safety and future of black children became a determining factor in whether you went to college or did blue collar and/or share cropping.

What is ironic about this is that, many black people who did own farms no longer own them today, in alarming numbers. But I digress

Like brotha Pan stated earlier, today the trend seems to be to become an athlete or rapper. Reaching back is a must to help those that have little guidance

Education for the sake of education or education as a means to an end? As many of our young Black men think about college today, what thoughts do you think go through their minds? I've heard many say that they don't want to get caught up in the drudgery of a 9 to 5 job with no guarantees of being able to successfully compete for promotions or raises, in spite of the fact that they may have a college degree and often be over qualified for jobs.

Many of us come from working class families that have struggled to make ends meet and stretch our paychecks from the beginning of the month to the end of the month. It's only been fairly recent that a few Black people have been allowed to sit at the corporate table and earn above average wages. How many of our youth actually have the opportunity to see who these people are as much as they see Black athletes and rappers?

Given the amount of abundance that surrounds us and what we see as we compare our average to below average lifestyles (speaking economically) to professional athletes and most successful rappers, our youth's minds are being overly stimulated with what money can buy.

Fewer and fewer want to go through the challenges they will face if they went to college because some don't think it's worth it. Because of the recent Supreme Court decision in the Univ. of Michigan cases, many colleges and universities plan to discontinue support programs designed to attract Black youth and support them when they arrive to college in many instances unprepared. With tuition steadily rising and federal financial aid in the form of grants, declining, it's getting tougher and tougher for many Black youth--male and female--to attend college.

Reaching back to our youth is good, but what specific examples can you provide to describe what that entails and at what age does this begin? What's going to change to make our Black male population see the value in obtaining college degrees--undergraduate and graduate professional?

Queenie :spinstar:

the way things are going now...
we can increase the number of black men in colleges
by having the rappers make their videos with the scantly clad
women, at some of the universities...i only jest, but there is truth in these wordz...
the black male youth are patterning their lives off of what they see on television. televison unfortunately has become the educators of our youth...and this is a crying shame....
one love
khasm

You know Khasm....there is truth to your words. Ironically my desire to attend a Black College (Morgan State University) came from watching A Different World, back in the day. TV definately influences youth, which is why it's important to show positive images.

You know Khasm....there is truth to your words. Ironically my desire to attend a Black College (Morgan State University) came from watching A Different World, back in the day. TV definately influences youth, which is why it's important to show positive images.

On average, there are more than enough Black men in our society who do positive things and seldom are recognized because of it. Many are in our homes helping to raise our Black youth every day and doing a good job of it. Some are uncles, sons and brothers. Not all of them have a formal education, but they know how to promote the value of an education and always encourage our youth to go beyond high school and on to college. Some have made mistakes in choices, learned from them and are doing what they can to prevent other Black males from repeating their mistakes. Many have never seen the inside of a prison and don't intend to if they can help it. They refuse to emulate prison wardrobe or mentality. They've never been accused of rape or charged with murder and therefore, don't need the services of Johnny Cochran. Their faces have not been plastered on television in a criminal mugshot and they don't leave the stadium after playing a professional high paying game to go home to a white wife and bi-racial babies. They refuse to talk using slang that degrades us as a people because they know the harm that it does. They work hard at being the best role model they can without pretense. They know they aren't perfect, but they are better than most people give them credit for. They don't seek recognition but they certainly have earned it. We need to stop confining our hero worshipping to the men we stare at on television and start paying tribute to those kings that we see everyday in our homes.

In my humble opinion .

Queenie :spinstar:

Amen NN......very well stated.

On average, there are more than enough Black men in our society who do positive things and seldom are recognized because of it. Many are in our homes helping to raise our Black youth every day and doing a good job of it. Some are uncles, sons and brothers. Not all of them have a formal education, but they know how to promote the value of an education and always encourage our youth to go beyond high school and on to college. Some have made mistakes in choices, learned from them and are doing what they can to prevent other Black males from repeating their mistakes. Many have never seen the inside of a prison and don't intend to if they can help it. They refuse to emulate prison wardrobe or mentality. They've never been accused of rape or charged with murder and therefore, don't need the services of Johnny Cochran. Their faces have not been plastered on television in a criminal mugshot and they don't leave the stadium after playing a professional high paying game to go home to a white wife and bi-racial babies. They refuse to talk using slang that degrades us as a people because they know the harm that it does. They work hard at being the best role model they can without pretense. They know they aren't perfect, but they are better than most people give them credit for. They don't seek recognition but they certainly have earned it. We need to stop confining our hero worshipping to the men we stare at on television and start paying tribute to those kings that we see everyday in our homes.

In my humble opinion .

Queenie :spinstar:


All of your replies in this thread are on point sistah

All hail the NNQueen :bowdown:

and one of the main reasons i attended florida a&m was because of the spike lee movie school days...the media continues to rule the youth...what's hot/what's not...and like i said previously, it's a crying shame
one love
khasm

You know Khasm....there is truth to your words. Ironically my desire to attend a Black College (Morgan State University) came from watching A Different World, back in the day. TV definately influences youth, which is why it's important to show positive images.

Nice Reponses by everyone this is a very productive and enriching thread.

Hey Bottom line if you want more black males in college then support them in their every day life, they need a guiding hand because there are 2 many mands trying to pull them down while they traven in everyday life. Our Young Black males need a mentor and our support. :wave:

the way things are going now...
we can increase the number of black men in colleges
by having the rappers make their videos with the scantly clad
women, at some of the universities...i only jest, but there is truth in these wordz...
the black male youth are patterning their lives off of what they see on television. televison unfortunately has become the educators of our youth...and this is a crying shame....
one love
khasm

As a member of the younger group (I'm 24) I can see exactly where you are coming from here. Most of the men i know (btwn the ages of 18 & 35) pattern their lives off of music videos. My husband was once one of them. He used to mope around the house saying "It's not fair! They make millions to jump around on stage." When asked why he never finished school, he gets quiet. The truth? He spent too much time trying to live out his TV dreams. And there are plenty of people like this in the world. What they don't realize is this: IT'S NOT REAL!

I agree with some of the other opionions that have been posted already. If more brothers had (proper) role models, and spent more time talking to people with the same goals, things might be a little different in the community. Perhaps it's time for every Brother who "makes it" to go out and encourage 4 more Brothers who want to "make it", without the aid of drug money or pimp culture.

my friend was telling me how one of her black male friends said that if he knew about something good and benificial to others , that he would keep it too himself. And i think many people have this selfish mentality, that is stoping African Americans from progressing positively( i.e going to college- and doing well, knowing that htere are tons of scholarsships for minorities ( an excuse many use -$), or simply leading a helping hand or adivce)

2. Academic Excellence is looked down upon in this society.

In the Black Community, people who are seeking to learn are considered nerds and sometimes-even sellouts. It is difficult for some kids because you got one crowd calling you a nerd and then you got another crowd calling you a sellout because you are learning. It is also more difficult for the young Black Male because some Black Females tend not to like you if you are smart or are trying to learn; thus, this negative reaction will cause a lot of young Black Men to pursue other interests which gain approval from their peers.

.

This is VERY important. Kids need to understand that just becuase they see white kids doing something, doesnt mean that it is a "white behaviour". This attitude is common among adults and parents in the community too!! They talk about getting mad at kids who think school is for whites, then they turn around and discuss how "black males who are highly educated are more likely to sell out and marry out of the community". They also take what they see as "white parenting solutions" and make comments on how they wont do so and so cause they "aint white". Kids have ears and hear that there are certain behaviours designated for whites and blacks....then they get older and pay closer attention and hear older blacks claim that the most likely ones in the community to sell out are highly educated black males.

Now we got the AIDS and DL thing which the white media is painting as college educated black mans problem. Add to that all the NBA players who skip college and go straight to the pros, entertainers who made it without schooling.....and of course, girls who want a "thugged out" bro, or a sports star more than a "nerd" or boring nice college guy.

It all adds up. I dont know how this can be undone. We have something called the Black Community initiative at my university which reaches out to the community to try and get more blacks to a higer level of participation. There appears to be way more blacks at my school than 5 years ago, but we cant collect race based data from a school becuase it is illegal to ask that on an application.

a verry big issue is cost. daroc-mentioned scholarships, does anyone know of some good sites pertaining to scholarships and grants? Maby if we flooded the community with this info you would see higher attendance.

also with cost is method of schooling. lets be real, westernized school and testing is a verry dull, and mind numbing process. more hands on training and apprenticeship would work in my opinion. how ever westernized teaching won't change anytime soon, so we need more black owned private schools on the grade school level.

a verry big issue is cost. daroc-mentioned scholarships, does anyone know of some good sites pertaining to scholarships and grants? Maby if we flooded the community with this info you would see higher attendance. Also with cost is method of schooling. lets be real, westernized school and testing is a verry dull, and mind numbing process. more hands on training and apprenticeship would work in my opinion. how ever westernized teaching won't change anytime soon, so we need more black owned private schools on the grade school level.

Cost is a big issue....you are absolutely right on this Therious. Many of the people who I know that dropped out of college did so not because of their grades or lack of interest....they dropped out because they could no longer afford to go. I always promote community colleges to people. The cost of these are a fraction of the price in comparison to universities. I started at a community college and in truth, if I never went to a community college, I probably would not have ever gone at all.

As far as getting information out about scholarships...that is "supposed" to be done in high school. White schools provide this information to their students through college & career offices, and through counselors. As always this doesn't happen at black schools or with black students. At my school I wasn't told anything about the SAT, scholarships, or college application process. I found out about dates & registration by overhearing conversations from the white students at my school. Yet again this is another example of why we need black people in these positions.

that is true about what was said about recieving guidance about scholarships and SAT's from ur counselor. i attended both a suburban and city school, and the diference in the amount of value put on education in each high school was big.

along wit the SAT, many students dont kno that they should also take the ACT . the are a easy and more well rounded test compared to the SAT, which is jus math and english.

money is also a problem when paying for and finding SAT prep classes. studetns dont realize that some help for the SAT is better than none, even if u pay $25 for a prep book. Allot of minority kids dont kno enough about the SAT let alone have money to "waste" on help for them. But some dont realize that there are free class at many colleges and with local churches, YMCA, or minority acheivement clubs.

scholarship help:
easiest thing is to just go to google and search scholarships
fastweb - very good site
scholarship.com
schools that students apply to have scholarships
churches have scholarships and money thatr they tend to give out to members
http://scholarships.fatomei.com/scholar3c.html- scholarships/internships


students dont realize that u can get a scholarship for being a redhead, or hispanic, or because of a club affiliation, etc-

I thinnk another problem is that many students are too lazy. I know i was during the last year. Too lazy to sit and search for scholkarships, and if someone does take the time to do so, they are too lazy, or busy to write a 150 word essay on a given topic (which is the request of most schoalrships).

It is also important to get our fellow blacks into more internship opportunities- it is jus as easy to do a search for internships- plus good schools- have a person jus for helping high school students get an internship

many students today lack the initiative to do research and learn things that they are not asked to do. alot of parents dont kno the half about finding scholarships/internships because they have not attended college, and if they have it was not recent, or because they are not an active member on their childs school board.

Along wit the SAT, many students dont kno that they should also take the ACT . the are a easy and more well rounded test compared to the SAT, which is jus math and english. money is also a problem when paying for and finding SAT prep classes. studetns dont realize that some help for the SAT is better than none, even if u pay $25 for a prep book. Allot of minority kids dont kno enough about the SAT let alone have money to "waste" on help for them. But some dont realize that there are free class at many colleges and with local churches, YMCA, or minority acheivement clubs. students dont realize that u can get a scholarship for being a redhead, or hispanic, or because of a club affiliation, etc-

Thank you for mentioning the ACT daroc, I neglected to do so. You are also absolutely right about scholarships.....there are thousands of them, for every situation imaginable....but it is up to the student to do the research.

I'm not trying to make excuses for anyone but people need to be motivated by something in order to be attracted to college. There has to be a compelling reason to make anyone want to spend that amount of money and on average, 6 years of your life sitting in a classroom to earn a piece of paper that oftentimes doesn't work for Black men when they try to enter the job market and compete with other people, including Black women. And now, the bachelor's degree is equivalent to what a high school diploma used to be 25 years ago. Now you need a master's degree or higher to command a somewhat competitive edge on the average person.

To a young Black man, the situation must look fairly bleak when you think about it. We still have a large population of 18-24 year olds that are first time college students in their families. There's no bank account set up for them to attend college because people are tyring to eat so they can live. True there are a number of scholarships available today and if people are planning and thinking ahead, they will realize that the majority of them are competitive based on grade point averages. Heaven forbid if students have to work and carry a full class load at the same time. But people do it, and a great many of them are Black. But it's tough on you after a while.

It's also frustrating for Black men and Black women to leave high school with what is considered an above average grade point average, only to find that average is considered mediocre when they get to a predominantly white college and still have to take remedial classes before they begin to take requisite classes--and these remedial classes cost a lot of money! I've seen student's self-esteem drop when they get confused and wonder what's going on and why their high school college preparation classes weren't considered good enough when they arrive at these colleges. Those that decide to stay and work it out, may eventually succeed and earn a degree. But it's a struggle and heavy blow their self-esteem, and I've seen many crumble and go home broken and discouraged.

What are high school counselors saying to our children to motivate them into attending college? What are college recruiters telling our children and us when we tour these campuses. On average, what are their chances of getting a job after college that pays a decent living wage? Colleges and universities are continually raising the bar that we have to clear the hurdle. It's getting tougher and tougher for us to get in and more expensive to be there.

Once upon a time, a benefit of a college degree helped us to become members of the middle class. You could qualify to buy homes, own cars and put more on your dinner table than just scraps, in order to feed your family. Now-a-days, there's no such guarantee. I've seen people with master's and Ph.D's who can barely make ends meet.

What is so attractive about a college degree? We are spending more years now in school than we ever have and not everyone is going to become some big wig at a major corporation earning a 6 figure income. I'm not condoning the mentality of some young men who only aspire to be great as a professional basketball or football player. But at least they feel they have a chance even though they know the pickings are slim. It's something they know they will shine at and possibly be looked up to. How often does a Black man get admiration and respect because of what he does and who he is?

I'm a huge advocate for education. I believe in the philosophy that it's better to have a degree and not need it than to need it and not have it. I want to see more Black men in college, but there has to be more reasons why I'm not seeing them there than assuming they're just lazy and don't want to work hard at it. Historically, African American men have always demanded access to education and have set a high standard for the quality their education.

There's an undercurrent that is running against us and it's detracting our people such that many don't see any value of an education today. How are those that have the advanced degrees serving as role models to prove that there is.

Queenie :spinstar:

Hey,

Black men have a way of increasing themselves when the need is given, fully explained and attended to.

Blackbird

DELETED - SEE ME FOR INPUT

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According to many statistics and personal accounts, the numbers of black men on college campuses are decreasing. Equally alarming is the amount of unemployment among black males in cities like New York & Baltimore. Some contribute the decrease of black men in college to a dwindling focus on education in high school. Instead black males are steered towards athletics & entertainment. What can be done to reverse this trend? Is the rising unemployment among black males reflective of the decreasing number of college graduates? Is a college education necessary for a black man to get a good job in American society? Is this indeed a negative trend, or is it no cause for alarm?

An increasing number of Black men have been reading books such as "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" and are seeking means of securing wealth outside of the traditional means. Sports and Entertainment are means of securing wealth with investment potential and youth look up to sports figures such as Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan as examples. Problem is these two brothers attended college. But there are increasing numbers of brothers who are being recruited in the ranks of professional sports directly out of high school and this provides some with a once in a lifetime opportunity. What can be done to reverse this trend? For one, there need to be more Black male role models within the school system and a reversal of the trend which systematically locks Black male youth into the "Fail Cycle". This also requires that college and university systems reverse their own trend in cutting early outreach and retention programs. The problem is not only the decreasing university admission rate but escalating dropout rates among those who are admitted. This also requires that Black male college students and alumni work to establish student support and retention programs and peer support programs, in addition to community service programs with political education campaigns doing outreach in inner-city schools and housing projects. Gang intervention also needs to be a component as well as rites of passage programs to serve as mentoring support for Black male youth.

According to many statistics and personal accounts, the numbers of black men on college campuses are decreasing. Equally alarming is the amount of unemployment among black males in cities like New York & Baltimore. Some contribute the decrease of black men in college to a dwindling focus on education in high school. Instead black males are steered towards athletics & entertainment. What can be done to reverse this trend? Is the rising unemployment among black males reflective of the decreasing number of college graduates? Is a college education necessary for a black man to get a good job in American society? Is this indeed a negative trend, or is it no cause for alarm?


turn on 'Hooked on Phonics' This problem is a result of mothers thinking they can raise a man child to adulthood. It is also a direct result of the deemphasizing of education is a definition of blackness.

According to many statistics and personal accounts, the numbers of black men on college campuses are decreasing. Equally alarming is the amount of unemployment among black males in cities like New York & Baltimore. Some contribute the decrease of black men in college to a dwindling focus on education in high school. Instead black males are steered towards athletics & entertainment. What can be done to reverse this trend? Is the rising unemployment among black males reflective of the decreasing number of college graduates? Is a college education necessary for a black man to get a good job in American society? Is this indeed a negative trend, or is it no cause for alarm?

Hey, Pan, this question was posed a long time ago, and it is a good one...

What I've noticed is that children who see college as important for them have had that instilled by parents who, themselves, are college grads, or really highly educated folks...

In my humble opinion, this is really not that complicated... As parents, we show our babies THE WAY, THE TAO of success, and that is in educating yourself in every which way possible, with college being only one among many steps along the way... Not many kids whose parents haven't completed H.S. are going to seek a college education if the example hasn't been set for them, and among those, only parents who strongly value education are going to push their children to complete a college education...

With AFrican Americans, for some reason, sisters are strongly encouraged to get their educations, and young brothers are not... Where this phenomenon began, I don't know... With African Caribbean families, all of the children are strongly encouraged to complete the education, as education is valued by African Caribbean people as it once was by African Americans... I don't think we value getting an education as we once did... That has to change, and we must encourage our boys to get their educations...


Peace!
Isaiah

There needs to be a massive scholarship/grant campaign by HBCUs. While there are obviously many HBCU scholarships geared for blacks in general, I'm not aware of anything that is gender-specific.

It would have to be massive... through television campaigns, (because the TV is a powerful media), and endorsement by blacks in the entertainment industry. I think more black men need to see that not only can they find the opportunity, but they have the brains to excel. I mean, if some of us are believing we can only achieve in music or sports (which it's no mystery where that stereotype comes from), why couldn't we be convinced otherwise if the media purported positive messages?

For individuals without much money or activist connections, the next best thing will be to create a website talking about it, and sending flyers to highschool students about the website. I know this sounds primitive, but it's a start. There are a lot of men here who went to college, so having the personal testimony might be the motivating factor for some young black men.

Hey, Pan, this question was posed a long time ago, and it is a good one...

What I've noticed is that children who see college as important for them have had that instilled by parents who, themselves, are college grads, or really highly educated folks...

In my humble opinion, this is really not that complicated... As parents, we show our babies THE WAY, THE TAO of success, and that is in educating yourself in every which way possible, with college being only one among many steps along the way... Not many kids whose parents haven't completed H.S. are going to seek a college education if the example hasn't been set for them, and among those, only parents who strongly value education are going to push their children to complete a college education...

With AFrican Americans, for some reason, sisters are strongly encouraged to get their educations, and young brothers are not... Where this phenomenon began, I don't know... With African Caribbean families, all of the children are strongly encouraged to complete the education, as education is valued by African Caribbean people as it once was by African Americans... I don't think we value getting an education as we once did... That has to change, and we must encourage our boys to get their educations...


Peace!
Isaiah


With AFrican Americans, for some reason, sisters are strongly encouraged to get their educations, and your brothers are not... Where this phenomenon began, I don't know

If my memory serves me correctly, It began during not to long after reconstruction. Parents would often beg, borrow and steal to send their daughters to school.

This was done for at least two reasons. One reason was they wanted their daughters to have a higher standard of living than they did, and secondly, they wanted to protect their daughters from the sexual assault of white employers.

You know we talk so much about education black people, and we have not yet defined what education should mean to us as a people. A good question we should ask ourselves is if the education we are getting is going to prepare us to solve the problems we have as a people. If our answer to that question is "no"! Which in all honesty it is the correct answer then is not getting more black men in college. The problem we must solve then is what kind of people must we produce to solve the problems we have to solve. What kind of educational experiences we must undergo to create the type of thinking and promote the values and morals that is needed in order for us to bring into reality the future we see for ourselves. Then we must ask what kinds of institutions must we create so that we can give these experiences to help mold the kind of people that is needed to solve the problems.

If a peoples education is not designed in away to solve their problems than the education is pointless. Ladies and gentlemen the major function of education is not to get "jobs!" It is a survival tool of a people. Black people especially in america have been conditioned to work for other people and solve their problems. We are actually educated just enough to solve other peoples problems. We actually go to school to prepare ourselves for this task.

I hope you guys don't get the wrong interpertation. I'm not saying going to college does not serve a purpose. I'm merely saying that it is not going to save black people from anything. We could have 100% of black men in college and we would still be in the same position we're in today. Also why do we still have this hope that white people are going to always have jobs waiting for us. One of the major problems they are facing as a people is the fact that they aren't able any longer to produce jobs for their own children.

Black people we must start asking ourselves some serious questions and we must start questioning everything that is put before us. The very same institutions we hold so high and put so much faith in. Are designed to destroy us and keep us from operating in our best interest. Yes I mean every institution the schools, church, government,family,and entertainment are all part of the same game. I don't care how good it makes us feel and how good it may sound. One key thing we must remember that and effective system of domination will make the suboridinate group feel good when they are operating outside of their best interest. And it will make you feel bad,dirty and guilty when you operate for your own best interest.

I know my views may be a little controversial but.........

I think college is the WRONG way to go for most Black men.

((lol....go ahead and :fight: get it out of your system))



Now, ofcourse to produce doctors and lawyers we need universities and I totally support Black men going to school for that.
We need our own doctors and hospitals.

But the modern Western educational system today isn't contructed for Black men to excell it.
Infact, it's not constructed for most men to excell in period....but that's another story.


I think our focus should be more on the skills of civilization: TRADES

Electricians, carpenters, architects, plumbers, farmers....these people BUILD a society and establish civilization.
These are the people who will allow us to live independantly and flourish as a race.

Not financial consultants, English professors, and marketing managers.

They just "fine tune" a civilization after it has already been built.

We gotta learn to get our hands dirty again.

Go to Dearborn Michigan where over 95% of the Arab population barely have a highschool education let alone a degree and see how many new buildings, businesses, and tradesmen that community has.

Then look at Detroit where probably half of all adults have "some" college education even if it's just community college and tell me what it's doing for the community.





Sekhemu

If my memory serves me correctly, It began during not to long after reconstruction. Parents would often beg, borrow and steal to send their daughters to school.

This was done for at least two reasons. One reason was they wanted their daughters to have a higher standard of living than they did, and secondly, they wanted to protect their daughters from the sexual assault of white employers.
I know YOU aren't the one proposing this idea, you're just explaining the reasoning and history behind it.

I've heard this reasoning also.

But how rational would it be to send your daughters to college to protect them from the sexual assaults of white employers when it's WHITE EMPLOYERS they had to go to for jobs when they got out of college anyway!

It would seem to me if they feared their daughters being taken advantage of by white employers, they would have left more family businesses and productive farms for thier children so they wouldn't have to go to whites for work.

Not all of us were created to become carpenters, tradesmen, etc.

I am in college to earn my [now] doctorate degree in Education, and I plan to build a school curriculum where we can get back into knowing ourselves: Who we are, where we came from, what our PURPOSE is, etc.

Yes I would love to build my own house and my own school. However, that is not my life's calling. How about finding out why we are here [in this world] first, then taking care of business from there?

On the other hand, I understand that we are the originators of CIVILIZATION, and therefore we should continue building. It takes a group effort to make this successful; our construction brothas need to work with our educators, doctors, lawyers, etc. and vice versa. We need to find land, find materials, and BUILD WITHOUT any distractions. Believe me, when we do this, WE WILL ENCOUNTER PEOPLE TELLING US TO DO SOMETHING ELSE!

Whenever you are ready, brothas, I am ready.

CD