Black Men in College: Is There a Crisis?

 

Less than half of black males graduate from high school, and they represent only 4 percent of college students—dire statistics that are nothing new to those familiar with America’s black male achievement crisis.

Many news stories about black men point to unemployment, high school dropout rates and incarceration, so in the face of such negative tidings, the idea that black male representation on college campuses is population-consistent will seem far-fetched to most. Earlier this year, many people interested in black male achievement forwarded online the Observer-Dispatch article from which the “dying breed” characterization came: “Report: 4 Percent of College Students Are Black Males.”

“As you know, there are more black men in prison than in college,” said Henry Morris, interim dean of Institutional Diversity at Minnesota State University. “And we want to change that around.”

So the question rises, how can we change this crisis?