Richard Johnson and Dee Spiller had everything. They were defensive stars for Eisenhower High School in Houston and his way of playing college football at Baylor University. He led his team in high school at Texas State 5A semifinals in 1993 and seemed headed for greatness.
Unfortunately, they have made the same mistake many black youths are tempted by the allure of street life and graduated with interest to a life of crime. Johnson and Spiller, along with two teammates, several door kick burglaries in the Houston area, which eventually led to his detention at Eisenhower High School on a warm spring day in 1994.
Both have lost their full scholarships to Baylor and lost his future. They fell into the trap of being a young black man with a criminal record, uneducated and hope for the future.
"Many of these men grew up in fatherless homes, and never had good role models. No one around them knows how to navigate by society at large, "said Joseph T. Jones, director of the fatherhood and work skills of the Center in New York.
Recent statistics are incredible. According to data collected by researchers at these institutions in the Ivy League as Columbia, Harvard and Princeton, 50 percent of black men in their 20 years without a title university are unemployed, and 72 percent of dropouts were unemployed in 2004.
Furthermore, 16 percent of African American men 20 years do not attend college were incarcerated in 1995. In 2001, that number has soared to 21 percent. Also, the time that the black man to reach his 30 years, 60 per cent of school dropouts have spent time in the penitentiary.
Black men are at a crossroads. The question is what causes of these alarming statistics, and what measures will reverse this trend?
The lack of black men who work stands in stark contrast to the black, the Women have benefited from the economic and social achievements to find suitable employment.
"In the past two decades, the economy is not large and low-skilled women, helped by public policy, closing on it. But young black men were falling farther back, "said Ronald B. Mincey, professor of social work at Columbia University.
This phenomenon can be attributed to the glorification of prison culture in entertainment general. Just turn on the radio or television to listen to the young Black artists celebrate a life of drugs and crime. It seems that black men earn more respect in the African American community, where they spend four years in prison, rather than four years in an institution of higher education.
Scholars attribute this trend of lack of education among black men who are disconnected from the company.
Despite the fact that crime has fallen rapidly in the urban areas, rates of incarceration African Americans have increased.
More disturbing is the fact that among black dropouts in their late 20s, others are in prison, 34 percent of work-to-30 percent, according to analysis of Census 2000 data by Steven Raphael of the University of California at Berkeley.
Although statistics are alarming, there are remedies that can solve this epidemic plaguing the African American community.
It is time for African American men to accept responsibility for their own actions. Yes, African Americans have probably experienced many difficulties and obstacles more than other ethnic groups in this country but for each individual to decide which way to go in life.
It is time for African Americans to suppress the drugs and guns and pick up the books text. The idea that blacks are "acting white" if they strive for excellence in the classroom, conference room or business must be released immediately and African Americans must take positive role models in the black community.
Animators who glorify violence in their music and movies must be better role models for millions of children who love to each of his word.
African American men must assume their responsibilities and take care of their children. Success African Americans need to mentor young people at risk who has no father figure in your life.
Finally, African American must wake up and realize that not only criminals and thugs as mainstream media paint. African-American men should be aware that their ancestors were royalty in Africa, Regal and the blood still flows in his veins, even now.
About the Author:
Todd Smith is the web master for
Regal Mag
The preeminent Online Magazine for African American Men
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Wake Up Black Men
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