For too long, researchers have tried to convince Black parents that there are more young Black men in jail than in college, but this is a falsehood based on the prejudice of researchers who want to say our Black men cannot learn. In his article, "Are More Black Men in Jail than College?" Brian Carnell reports that the figures in the study by the Justice Policy Institute of Washington generated lots of headlines, "but a closer look at the numbers finds the study doesn't add up."

He says that if you look at only African-American men 18-24, the years most men go to college, there were 480,000 in college and 180,000 in prison or jail. Thus young African-American men in the college age group are in fact two-and-a-half times as likely to be in college as prison or jail.

Carnell makes the observation that, "what is perhaps most annoying about the way the Justice Policy Institute chose to present its figures is that it helps perpetuate the stereotype that a young, African-American male is likely to be a troublemaker or jailbird. In fact, as a careful look at the figures shows he is much more likely to be carrying books than a gun."

True, if you look at all age groups, there are more Black men in jail than college, but how many college campuses have a lot of over-30 male students? The greater concern to all races should be the fact that there are more women in college than men, and more women are earning degrees, both White and Black. Thus researchers are worrying about what effect this will have on the family structure in years to come.

The gender imbalance is noticeable at our own colleges and universities.

For instance, according to Black Excel: The College Help Network (www.BlackExcel.org) for the period 2001-2002, if you really wanted a better mix of male and female students, the places to go in this area are:

Morgan State (Md.) - Females (59%), Males (41%)

Virginia State (Va.) - Females (56%), Males (44%)

Cheney U. (Pa.) - Females (55%), Males (45%)

Delaware State (Del.) - Females (57%), Male (43%)

Other colleges in our area look like this:

Coppin State (Md.) - Females (75%), Males (25%)

Howard University (D.C.) - Females (65%), Males (35%)

Norfolk State (Va.) - Females (63%), Males (37%)

At the University of the District of Columbia, where the Black enrollment is 76%, it's females (62%) and males (38%).

But these figures are not out of sync with other colleges across the country. The U.S. Department of Education says that women of all races have outnumbered men on college campuses since 1979 and on graduate school campuses since 1984. The U.S. Census reports that more American women than men have received bachelor degrees every year since 1982 and the levels rose from 41 percent to 56 percent between 1969 and 2000.

Thus it is that some colleges are not only seeking affirmation action policies for Black students, they are also trying hard to attract men of all races with special perks and scholarships. But parents and our elementary and high schools must do their part if this gender gap is going to narrow instead of widen.

One thing is certain. The stereotype that our young Black men are the only males not rushing in large numbers through college doors is just that, a stereotype. It is time this labeling of our men is met head on with facts.

Article from: www.afro.com