In fact, I'm so worried, my Foundation started a scholarship fund - 'Brothers on the Move' - to make sure more black men stay in school - and graduate. Already, I've given $2,500 scholarships to young black men at Tougaloo College, Cheney University of Pennsylvania and Tennessee State University. Before the end of the year, young men at Edward Waters College and Savannah State University will be recognized. I had to do something to at least level the playing field for these brothers and make sure they have every chance they can to get a college degree. The reality is that the statistics tell the story.
At many Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), there are twice as many women as men enrolled and more black females graduate than black men. In fact, the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education reported that black women received more than two-thirds of all degrees earned by African-Americans. What makes me even angrier is a recent Census report showing that in 2006, black men were 37 percent of the total inmate population in the United States. That's outrageous!
The problem of black male enrollment in college starts with the lack of black males in high school and junior high. There are dozens of studies that look into why black males don't stay in school - lack of interest, boredom, eager to enter the workplace right after high school or to find other means for making a quick buck, and lack of mentors or parents interested in keeping them focused.
Whatever the reasons, I'm not getting caught up in the studies, but I'm taking action - and others have to step it up if we're going to reverse the trend. I know my Foundation can't do this alone so I'm encouraged that there are other programs on Black college campuses trying to make a difference. I'm encouraged when I talk to educators like Dr. Frederick Humphries, who during his tenure at Florida A&M University, started the Black Males Explorers Program to improve the academic performance of these students in grades 7 - 12. It offers the students classes to strengthen their test taking skills and really helps them in some of the traditional problem subjects like math and science.
Humphries believes, as I do, that we have to better prepare these students so that one, they have good enough grades to get into college, and two, they can keep up with the school work once they're in college. Humphries knows that this issue gets even more complicated post-college. That's when my Sistas complain about the lack of educated and professional black men. So, this isn't just an educational problem, this is a sociological one that affects many lives and families.
Then there's brother Raymond Winbush who back in 2001 wrote a book called, The Warrior Method: A Parents' Guide to Rearing Healthy Black Boys(TM) that offers parents methods on teaching black boys to better cope with some of the challenges they face - socially and academically. With a $50,000 grant from the Will and Jada Pinkett Foundation, Winbush created "'The Warrior Institute" at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md. Will and Jada were so inspired by Winbush's methods that they used some of the concepts to teach their son. Now, Winbush has trained thousands of teachers and is traveling the country, going to school districts with large numbers of black males, preaching and teaching them the values that will help black males succeed. All I know is, that's the kind of effort and energy we all need to make a difference.
So, yeah, I'm worried about our black males, but I'm also encouraged. I know my Foundation with folks like those at Florida A&M, Morgan State, Winbush and others - will continue to inspire, enlighten and encourage my fellow black males to make it. Any time we can invest in our black males means the greater opportunity for them to get their college degree, get a job and start making some money. I know one thing's for sure: I'm going to do all I can so that as I travel to black colleges around the country, I'll start seeing more and more black male faces like mine.
- Nationally syndicated radio personality Tom Joyner is founder and chairman of the Tom Joyner Foundation, which, since its inception in 1998, has raised more than $55 million to help keep students in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). His radio show - The Tom Joyner Morning Show - is aired in 120 markets, reaching nearly eight million listeners every week. Click here to contact Mr. Joyner.
- Reprinted with permission from The Black Commentator.
