March 2015


www.hamptonroadsmessenger.com


Myth That There are More Black Men in Prison Than College is Debunked


Open Internet FROM PAGE 2


inhibit the speed and extent of future broadband deployment,” as affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The court upheld the Commission’s finding that Internet openness drives a “virtuous cycle” in which innovations at the edges of the network enhance consumer demand, leading to expanded investments in broadband infrastructure that, in turn, spark new innovations at the edge. However,


the court observed its ability that


nearly 15 years ago, the Commission constrained


that precluded use to protect


against threats to the open Internet by a regulatory classification of broadband


of Child Hunger FROM PAGE 1


LOUISIANA WEEKLY In a 2013


in college, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics.


column Congressional Black for The


Root, Howard University professor and


Caucus


Foundational analyst Ivory A. Toldson said that the myth about there being more Black men in prison than in college is “the most frequently quoted statistic about Black men in the United States.”


An article in the Feb. 12 edition


of Vox.com talked about the myth’s source, its impact on communities of color and evidence that clearly proves the myth’s fallacy.


Over the years, the myth has taken on a life of its own, being cited by everyone from civil rights leaders to Black scholars and local community leaders.


Its origins have been traced back to a 2002 report from the Justice Policy


Institute or Classrooms: titled “Cellblocks The Funding of


Higher Education and Corrections and Its Impact on African-American Men,” The report asserted that “[n] early a third more African-American men are incarcerated than in higher education,” an observation that both sent shockwaves across America and resonated with groups striving to boost Black male academic achievement and college enrollment.


Vox.com pointed out that the


statistic’s sobering ramifications were not lost on Barack Obama who mentioned it during a 2007 NAACP forum, saying, “We have more work to do when more young Black men languish in prison than attend colleges and universities across America.”


Former NBA great Charles


Barkley also used the false stat in 2012 to explain why he felt compelled to carry a gun, “You know, we as Black people always, we don’t have respect for one another,” he said. “You know, we’ve got more Black men in prison than we do in college, and crime in our neighborhoods is running rampant.”


The stat was so widely accepted


that many Blacks began referring to jails and prisons as “the Black man’s university,” a thinly veiled reference to Black nationalist leader Malcolm X’s years behind bars.


Despite the wide acceptance of


the “Black men in prison” myth, the numbers don’t support the myth.


According to the U.S. Census, about 18,508,926 people in the U.S. population are Black males, of all ages. In 2013, 1,437,363 were enrolled


As of the middle of 2013, there were 219,660 Black males were in local jails, and 526,000 Black males were in state or federal prison, totaling about 745,000 behind bars, according to


Dr. Toldson believes that the 2002


“Cell Blocks Versus Class room” report was based on incomplete data, adding that in addition to being inaccurate the 13-year-old data is now outdated. “I pulled the data from 2001 that the Justice Policy Institute used [for the ‘Cellblocks of Class rooms ‘report] and I noticed that at least 1,000 colleges weren’t reporting their head count of Black males then,” Toldson told NPR in 2013. “And I also noticed that a lot of colleges that didn’t report any numbers, when the Justice Institute


wrote their report,


Policy were


historically Black universities. They were big, state universities that I’m pretty sure had some Black males present at the time.”


Essentially, the number of


Black males enrolled in college was undercounted, providing an inaccurate view of the state of Black males in the U.S.


While the college numbers are not as dire as the 2002 report suggested, the recent nationwide protests show that there is still a great deal of room for improvement in the lives of Black males.


aimed


A wide assortment of programs at


improving academic


performance and college among Black males are yielding positive results with statistics showing that the enrollment of Black males in college rose from 693,044 in 2001 to 1,437,363 in 2013.


While the “Black men in prison” myth was often used by policymakers, community


organizers and leaders


with the best of intentions, because it is a falsehood it has proven to be harmful to communities of color.


It


paints a negative picture of Black male academic achievement and feeds into the stereotype that Black males are predisposed to crime and violence.


that come with allowing this myth to


to live:”[W]e will not


Toldson summoned up the perils continue


sufficiently support black male college students — nor college-bound students — if we simply keep perpetuating the myth that juxtaposes their needs with those of black males in the criminal- justice system.”


twitter.com/H_R_Messenger


worked on this grant for more than a year, and her efforts are getting solid results.”


“We can’t expect


the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Prisoner Statistics Program.


Virginia’s


children to be hungry to learn if they are just plain


hungry,” said First


Lady Dorothy McAuliffe. “The Governor and I are thrilled to know that thousands of Virginia


will benefit from the initiatives we will implement through the Virginia Hunger-Free Kids Act Demonstration Project.


Good nutrition children is the


cornerstone of educational success and building healthy communities.”


Made possible by the Healthy


Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA), the projects target areas or populations with elevated levels of food insecurity or gaps in nutrition assistance program coverage.


the


Under the Virginia Department


of Education


proposal, will


implement the Virginia Hunger-Free Kids Act Demonstration Project, which will test the impact of providing (1) three school meals a day to all children in select schools during the school year, (2) food for weekends and school breaks, and (3) more resources for low-income households to purchase food during the summer months when school is not in session.


“Too many children in America live in households that don’t always know where their next meal is coming from,”


Secretary Vilsack said. “At


USDA, we’re deeply committed to ensuring that all Americans, especially children, have access to a healthy diet, whether at home or at school. The goal of ending child hunger in America is absolutely achievable, and this new initiative will help us test innovated strategies for getting there.”


The Hampton Roads Messenger 3


statutory protections that historically ensured the openness of telephone networks. The Order finds that the nature of broadband Internet access service has not only changed since that initial classification decision, but that broadband providers have even more incentives to interfere with Internet openness today. To respond to this changed landscape, the new Open Internet Order restores the FCC’s legal authority to fully address threats to openness on today’s networks by following a template for sustainability laid out in the D.C. Circuit Opinion itself, including reclassification of broadband Internet access as a tele- communications service under Title II of the Communications Act.


“I am pleased that Virginia will


be receiving funding from USDA to help the one in six children in our state who face a constant


struggle


against hunger. Today’s grant award is a recognition of all the work that Governor and Mrs. McAuliffe have done to reduce childhood hunger in Virginia,” said U.S. Senator Mark Warner who advocated for the funding. “This funding is available because of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which included the first reforms to school lunch and breakfast programs in more than 30 years. I was proud to support that legislation because we need innovative strategies to tackle the challenge of childhood hunger, and I look forward to supporting the Virginia Department of Education in these efforts.”


“I applaud USDA’s


announcement of $8.8 million for a new project to provide food to children in food-insecure communities


in


Virginia during the school day, on weekends, and during


the summer


months,” said U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, who also advocated for the funding. “Children can’t learn when they’re hungry, and this project – one of five USDA selected across the nation – will bolster access to food while providing important information about the links between


childhood nutrition and


academic achievement.” Governor McAuliffe and the First


Lady will be announcing additional details on the award in the coming weeks.


The announcement in rural was part


of USDA efforts during National Nutrition Month to focus on poverty and food insecurity among children, especially


areas. These


projects will be tested in Kentucky, Nevada, and Virginia, as well as the Chickasaw and Navajo tribal nations.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16