This report documents the many challenges facing young boys of color, challenges that if left unaddressed, imperil their successful entry into adulthood and their ability to be flourishing, productive members of our community. In this report we also highlight what is essential for creating an environment where boys of color can thrive.
- In Franklin County, 25 percent of children under 18 live in poverty; for boys of color, this figure is almost 40 percent.
- Black and Latino/Hispanic children are far more likely to live in areas of "high poverty" or "concentrated poverty" (20 or 40 percent or more of the residents live below the poverty line, respectively). Sixty-six percent of Black children born between 1985 and 2000 grew up in high poverty neighborhoods, compared to only 6 percent of White children.
- The average Black male had performed below proficiency in every grade and every subject on the National Assessment of Education Progress for the past 20 years (up to 2010).
- Implicit racial biases toward Black and Latino/Hispanic boys encompass harmful and pervasive stereotypes that create invisible, but powerful, barriers to opportunity.
- As a community, the following have a tremendous effect on boys of color: Ensuring healthy neighborhoods and healthy families, Supporting strong and resilient families, Embracing a new narrative of resilience and high expectations, Investing in evidence-based mentoring programs and "coaching" to support youth, Challenging our implicit biases as individuals and within our institutions, Repairing the pipeline to educational success
Published by
- Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity