REPORT: 1 in 4 Black Boys Believe They Will Fail at School
A report by California’s Assembly Select Committee on the status of of boys and men of color finds that, among other alarming statistics, by kindergarten, 1 in 4 African American boys believe they will fail at school.
The report takes a broad look that the experiences of young men of color – particularly black and Latino young men – in California.
They cite education, health and employment as significant concerns, and advocate for a multi-faceted approach to addressing these challenges.
“We have an untapped populace that desperately needs to be acknowledged and cultivated,” said Assemblyman Sandré Swanson, D-Alameda, who was the chairman of the committee, in a statement. “There are dozens of legislative, administrative and scalable solutions contained in this final report and action plan.”
The report’s findings included broad summaries of how men and boys of color, especially African American and Latino males, fare in California.
Among them, “place and race matter.”
“Where you live, to a large extent, determines whether you are exposed to hazardous pollutants and unhealthy food; whether you attend a good school or land a decent job with a livable wage; and whether you are likely to go to jail or die relatively young,” according to the report.
The full report is scheduled to be released next week.
Thoughts on this report?
What can we do to improve the life chances of young men of color?
Sound off below!
[…] I don’t know what to make of my anonymity. I’ve been told that it’s a good thing–we aren’t noticed in the same negative way that our male counterparts are often noticed. A Black man is in constant danger when he reaches a certain age–he is a constant target of the most negative attention and can be swept up into something powerful and far out of his control. Don’t believe me? Ask Trevon Martin. Black Woman live in a constant clear and present danger for other reasons. However, I am not convinced that our invisibility in this country is a good thing. Indeed, I think that our anonymity hurts us and our children more than we realize. […]
[…] I don’t know what to make of my anonymity. I’ve been told that it’s a good thing–we aren’t noticed in the same negative way that our male counterparts are often noticed. A Black man is in constant danger when he reaches a certain age–he is a constant target of the most negative attention and can be swept up into something powerful and far out of his control. Don’t believe me? Ask Trevon Martin. Black Woman live in a constant clear and present danger for other reasons. However, I am not convinced that our invisibility in this country is a good thing. Indeed, I think that our anonymity hurts us and our children more than we realize. […]