Race and Beyond: Coming Together to Help Black Boys and Men

Improving the lives of black boys and men is not an impossible task.

By Sam Fulwood III | September 25, 2012

When groups of concerned people gather to discuss black boys and men, the conversation all too often degrades into a hopeless discussion of problems and pathologies.
Yawn.

There’s nothing new to add to that tired trope, especially for anyone with a passing awareness of the enduring history and the contemporary plight of black males in our country. But what is being done about the stacks of studies and statistics that point to a disproportionate number of black boys and men trapped in the school-to-prison pipeline?

Frankly, far more than most of us know. I was reminded of this at a roundtable meeting convened earlier this week by the Center for Law and Social Policy, or CLASP, a Washington-based group that advocates for the interests of low-income Americans. About two dozen academics, grassroots activists, community-based organizers, and policy experts gathered in the CLASP conference room to talk about their work, offering success strategies that are improving the lives of and outcomes for black boys and men.
Describing the gathering as a “partnership circle meeting,” Linda Harris, who directs youth policy for CLASP, set the tone for the conversation by noting that everyone in attendance did valuable and important work. But not everyone in the room knew about each other’s work. Because people work in isolated silos, alone in their laboratories, or one-off in think-tank cubicles, the potential for synergy between their successful discoveries is often lost in the soulless proliferation of book chapters and white papers.
Harris suggested each of us in the group imagine ourselves as motorists on a vast and broad superhighway leading to an agreed-upon destination. We all want to make it easier for black boys and men to maintain good jobs, wages, and careers. But along this road, the various groups and organizations assembled at the meeting—“partners in the black men and boys’ journey,” to use Harris’s language—have different on-ramps or entry points. Each of us moves along the route at varying speeds with our heads down and our eyes trained on our specific tasks. We are often clueless of what others are doing at different places on our shared pathway.
As a result, when we do talk about what’s happening with black boys and men, the common and default mode tends toward the recitation of dismal statistics. Sure, the challenges are there in the numbers: 6.7 million—approximately one in six, or 16 percent—of all young people (ages 16 to 24, both male and female) are disconnected from school and work. But for young black males, the numbers are worse—almost double at 32 percent.
Supported by the Open Society Foundations’ Campaign for Black Male Achievement, CLASP sought to give us something else to talk about, to provide us an opportunity and space to share strategies about how to make a positive impact on black boys and young men. It was a refreshing conversation. I learned, for example, that:

• Sharon Davies, executive director of the Kirwan Institute at Ohio State University, drafted and filed an amicus brief on behalf of her institute in the Fisher v. University of Texas case—an upcoming, affirmative action case before the Supreme Court to determine whether race may be used in college admission policies. Oral arguments in the case are planned next month. Davies said it’s critical that colleges be allowed to use race-specific criteria in college admissions to increase opportunities for black youth and especially for black males, who are disproportionately absent on college campuses.
• Michael Lindsey, a professor and researcher in the University of Maryland School of Social Work, is assessing the mental health and social development needs for school-aged black boys. He explained how recognizing and addressing their unique health needs, which tend to go untreated in communities where these boys face high stress from racism, poverty, and joblessness, can result in better educational outcomes for black boys.
• Al Young Jr., a sociology professor at the University of Michigan, is demonstrating how social forces such as racism, poverty, and joblessness shape the attitudes of black boys and men toward education and work. He noted how his research contradicts the common view that black males don’t study hard because they doubt it will lead to improved life outcomes. Rather, his research shows that when black males viewed work in a productive fashion, their willingness to stay in school increased.
• Ron Walker, executive director of the Boston-based Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color—a network of public, private, and charter single-sex schools that focus exclusively on improving educational outcomes for young black males—is refocusing the narrative about black males to “talk about solutions, not problems.” Walker said that “black boys learn more from success than from failure.”

As these conversations bounced around the room, ideas flowed and new alliances were formed. What once seemed an impossible task—improving the lives of black boys and men—seemed less daunting. No doubt that’s because those of us who traffic the less-traveled road of looking for solutions to the problems facing black boys and men took a moment to pause in our drive toward success and recognize a fellow traveler. Knowing someone is on the road with you makes the journey a lot less lonely.


This material  was published by the Center for American Progress (http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/news/2012/09/25/39198/race-and-beyond-coming-together-to-help-black-boys-and-men/)

The Stealth Inequities of School Funding

How State and Local School Finance Systems Perpetuate Inequitable Student Spending

By Bruce D. Baker and Sean P. Corcoran 

Education has been called the passport to the future. It has been defined as the great equalizer and lauded as being a key to unlocking the American Dream. Yet too many children—often low-income and minority children—are denied access to high-quality education because they attend schools that are underfunded and under-resourced. The sad reality is that gross funding inequities continue to exist in this country, and too often the schools serving students with the greatest needs receive the fewest resources This report tackles the serious issue of public school funding inequity by identifying often-overlooked features of school funding systems that exacerbate inequities in per-pupil spending rather than reduce them. 

Read more and download this report here. This material was published by the Center for American Progress (http://www.americanprogress.org/events/2012/09/11/37464/stealth-inequities-of-school-funding/)

Atlanta City Council passes amended panhandling ordinance

By Chris Chandler

In a unanimous vote, the Atlanta City Council passes a compromise ordinance cracking down on "aggressive panhandling".
The earlier version had called for up to 180 days in jail on the first offense.  Mayor Reed vetoed it.
The new version sets up a series of penalties:  up to 30 days community service on the first offense; at least 30-days in jail for the second; and at least 90 days behind bars on the third.
At the same time, the compromise makes tightens up the definition of "aggressive" begging:   those who continue to accost citizens after being told "no".

"This legislation protects our citizens from those wolves who -- to the detriment of those truly in need -- cloak themselves in sheep's clothing," says Councilman Michael Bond  Critics of the earlier ordinance complained it was unfair to the poor.

The mayor is expected to sign the compromise plan.  The new law would apply citywide.  The vote was 14-0.

This article was published by WSBRADIO.com (http://www.wsbradio.com/news/news/atlanta-city-council-passes-amended-panhandling-or/nSRCG/)

The Voting Impact of People of Color

As the 2012 election approaches, people of color are poised to make a significant impact on the electoral outcomes of key swing states, including Florida, Nevada, Virginia, and Colorado. As this map illustrates, Latinos, Asian Americans, and other people of color have grown in numbers in these states over the past decade—on the lower end, a 4.5 percent increase in Colorado, and a high of 10.6 percent growth in Nevada. This growth of ethnically and racially diverse communities translates to potential voting power. A full 38.9 percent of Nevada’s eligible voters are of color, while the same is true of 34.5 percent of Florida’s eligible voters, 27.4 percent of eligible voters in Virginia, and 22.4 percent of voters in Colorado.
Legal permanent residents are eligible to become citizens—and eventually eligible to vote—and are present in significant numbers in swing states as well: 80,000 legal permanent residents live in Nevada, 790,000 in Florida, 150,000 in Virginia, and 90,000 in Colorado. The importance of these citizens-in-waiting lies in the fact that their numbers are often greater than the margins of victory in these states.  The role of people of color—including Latinos, Asian Americans, and others—in this election and future elections will shape the political landscape for years to come.
Check your state.



This material  was published by the Center for American Progress (http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/es.aspx?s=785&e=420236&elq=83228e919e4e4ad4ac2c5b925fd08a7e)

Students of Color Still Receiving Unequal Education

This article was published by the Center for American Progress (www.americanprogress.org)

When it comes to spending on the education of our children, students of color are being shortchanged, according to the Center for American Progress’s latest education report, “Unequal Education: Federal Loophole Enables Lower Spending on Students of Color.”

Nearly 60 years after the 1954 landmark ruling in Brown v. the Board of Education, in which the U.S. Supreme Court declared public education is “a right which must be made available on equal terms,” racial inequities in school spending persist. Let’s look at some of the national numbers:

• Across the country schools spent $334 more on every white student than on every nonwhite student
• Mostly white schools (90 percent or more white) spent $733 more per student than mostly nonwhite schools (90 percent or more nonwhite)
• The United States spends $293 less per year on students in mostly nonwhite schools than on students in all other schools. That’s 7 percent of the median per-pupil spending

Since fully 35 percent of the nation’s students of color attend school in either California or Texas, examining the relationship between the percent of students of color and dollars spent per student can bring the problem into sharper focus.

• In California schools serving 90 percent or more nonwhite students, per-pupil spending is $191 less than at all other schools, and $4,380 less than at schools serving 90 percent or more white students
• In Texas schools serving 90 percent or more nonwhite students, per-pupil spending is $514 less than at all other schools, and $911 less than at schools serving 90 percent or more white students

Just how big are these differences? In California the average high-minority school has 759 students. If an average-sized school got an extra $4,380 for every student, it would mean an extra $3.3 million a year. If that same school were to get a more modest boost of $191 per student to bring it in line with the majority of schools in the state, then it would get approximately $145,000 extra per year. Those extra dollars would pay the salaries of additional classroom teachers or buy any number of valuable educational inputs such as computers, guidance counselors, or teaching coaches.

In Texas the average high-minority school is 708 students; new teachers are paid $39,150 and veterans earn $47,100 annually. If an average high-minority school in the Lone Star state were to receive an extra $514 per-pupil funding—enough to bring it up to the level of spending the rest of the schools in the state enjoy—it would be able to pay the salaries of seven veteran teachers or nine new teachers.

One of the more sobering findings of our report is that as the number of students of color goes up at a school the amount of money spent on students goes down.

• An increase of 10 percent in students of color is associated with a decrease in spending of $75 per student

This disturbing trend was true in 24 states as shown in the chart below. Moreover, these 24 states educate 63 percent of all students of color. In 13 states the percentage of students of color is not related to a school’s per-pupil spending. In 12 states an increase in the concentration of students of color is actually associated with an increase in per-pupil spending. This positive news, however, is tempered by the fact that only 12 percent of the nation’s students of color attend school in these states. (Note: New Jersey was excluded from the entire analysis because it mistakenly included federal spending in its report instead of only state and local spending.)

The bottom line: Across our country we are spending less on students of color than on white students, at least when it comes to state and local dollars. If the nation is to ever fully honor the intent and spirit of Brown v. Board of Education we must take steps to address and correct the disparities in funding for students of color.

Read “Unequal Education: Federal Loophole Enables Lower Spending on Students of Color.”

Bullying Prevention PSA Challenge

The Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention is encouraging youth to submit Public Service Announcements (PSAs) -- 30- to 60-seconds in length -- that showcase ways they are taking action against bullying and promoting a culture of kindness and respect in their communities.  The deadline for submissions is October 14.  The top prize is $2,000.  FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://stopbullying.challenge.gov/.

Community Grant Opportunity

The Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, in partnership with the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, is awarding between $25,000 and $75,000 in matching funds to advance community-based sustainability. Applications for this second round of granting are due October 1; see here for application information and here for September 6, 3pm ET, call details.