Black culture needs to place a bigger emphasis on education.
I’m going to be very candid about this, black culture does not perpetuate an educated community, and it needs to change.
When I was in high school, I was a pretty “smart” kid. However, I was not good at sports, so as a young black man I was not valued by my peers, in fact I was ostracized. I was laughed at for the way I spoke, ignored for the way I acted, and I was shut down for being myself. When I went to college, everything changed, professors require participation, students are impressed by smart peers, it was almost a shock to me how encouraging everyone was. Now that I have left home, and experienced life outside my high school community, it is almost difficult to communicate with old friends, and hard to fit back into that society without critiquing it.
I see now how flawed that upbringing was, I see that it wasn’t me who was the oddball, it was the culture of my community that was lacking.
I am one of millions of black youth that has experienced an environment like this and when I think about black youth that are ridiculed in their school systems and bullied in their majority black classrooms it angers me and brings the realization that this culture needs to be eradicated.
Why is the racial wealth gap so large?
Why are the inner city literacy and graduation rates so low in high schools?
Why am I the only black student in my college courses?
The answer is simple, we are making poor decisions, and it’s time to take some accountability.
According to the National Center For Education Statistics, 2020 results from 8th grade studies revealed…
Only 9 out of 100 Black students performed at or above the NAEP proficient level in civics.
Only 13 out of 100 Black students performed at or above the NAEP proficient level in math.
Only 15 out of 100 Black students performed at or above the NAEP proficient level in reading.
Also, according to the National Center For Education Statistics…
In 2018 the dropout rate for Black students remained higher than that for white students (4.2%). Additionally, 22% of Black 18- to 24-year-olds were neither enrolled in school nor working, which was much higher than the percentage of all U.S. 18- to 24-year-olds youth (14%).
Now of course we can attribute these results to a multitude of things,
Poverty
Incarceration
fatherless households
A history of oppression
But here is the reality, it is 2023, and it has never been easier for individuals and families to lift themselves out of the cycle of poverty. So rather than focusing on past actions that we can no longer change, it’s time we start asking…
What can we do right now as individuals to make sure we are not contributing to these negative statistics?
The answer is simple, change our mindset. Raise households of so-called “nerds”, encourage children to go to college, and set standards. Asian-Americans do it, why can’t we. Practicing math, reading, and science does not cost any money, but it does require effort.
It’s time to reevaluate our priorities. My high school self being laughed at for participating in class is blasphemous, and a community that perpetuates that kind of behavior should be ashamed that it is even happening.
We as a community need to wake up and acknowledge that this is an issue, before we look up 20 years from now and realize we are in the same financial position, or worse, because poverty and education almost have a direct correlation with one another.
According to Statista.com
In 2020 the rate of individuals with a bachelors degree or higher that are in poverty is 4.3%. Furthermore, the rate of poverty for individuals with a high school diploma but no college increases to 13.3%. Finally, the rate of poverty for individuals without a high school diploma jumps to a whopping 25.2%.
It’s important to remember each state defines poverty differently, but the overarching message with this information is that educated individuals on average are more successful financially in the United States. This illustrates the narrative that if we would like to increase the financial success in the black community, the simplest and most efficient solution is to become more educated. That cannot be done if we perpetuate a culture that disincentivises education.
So reflect on how much you value education, reflect on how much your children value education. Think about what you want for your family 20 years from today. Remember that there has never been a better time or place than the United States of America to live a prosperous life, regardless of who you are or the lifestyle you live.
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