The gap between the percentage of black males juxtaposed to the percentage of black females attending a college or university is astounding.
We divide the black community, mostly the male population within academic ability. We feed young men the fantasy that they do not have to go to school for a career as long as they can play a sport. We sell young men in the black community a dream that academics do not really matter as long as they can play a sport well enough to get drafted on to a professional team. Black communities SHOULD stop selling the NFL/NBA dream to young kids and actually educate them. Education is important but we deprive young kids in our community from reaching certain goals by limiting them to getting a “golden ticket” through sports. College is already a viewed as a slim change for some in the black community. When it comes to getting into college and being able to afford it….if you’re not an athlete or academically inclined, you’re kind of left to struggle on your own.
Education is very vital when it comes to excelling in life. Most jobs require for employees to have a high school diploma and a bachelors degree. In order for us to have the same opportunities as white Americans we must exceed them in order to earn half of they have.
According to jbhe.com, “Black women currently earn about-thirds of all African-American bachelor’s degree awards, 70 percent of all master’s degrees, and more than 60 percent of all doctorates. Black women also hold a majority of all African-American enrollments in law, medical, and dental schools. Looking exclusively to undergraduate higher education, the latest Department of Education figures show that black women account for 63.6 percent of all African-American enrollments.”
Women are dominating the university systems. Yes, that is great for the black community, but black men are lagging behind. We must encourage young black men to not only enroll in institutions of higher education but to put forth effort into their academics in order to achieve greater things for themselves. They do not have to depend solely on sports.
We critique the decisions that black men make about their education but we never discuss the root of the problem. We must stop ourselves from destroying the decisions of the men in our community. Academics are just as important as sports when it comes to finding the monetary donation to attend college. Stop creating a glass ceiling for young black men, especially those who do not fit the stereotype of an athlete.