Evening Exchange; Special: 21st Century African American Males Conference

The. This is the big very good thing. For America. And especially. For. Your. Health. Summit. AS. An endangered species. Six hundred fifty four thousand. American males in three days of a California man. In prison in jail for the probation. These are serious times. If a young black male doesn't drive a broken down box wagons assume that the car stolen was bought by drug money. Make a long story short I had a gun pulled on me because the policeman assumed my car was stolen. The statistics on the problems of the Afro-American male are just

absolutely appalling now that the problem has been with us for a very long time and it's getting worse over the last few years. I think it's become very obvious to all of us that the need for a college level education increasingly for. How many young black males. Young man I will be graduating from high school. There's a 40 percent dropout rate in addition. I'm glad I'm a guy next door. I'll be attending one now university and 15 you don't need to know. Is the African-American male an endangered species. If recent reports are any indication the outlook for the future. Will provide you with highlights of a conference that focused on the plight of the African-American male. Tonight on a special edition of evening exchange. What will the African-American male be like in the 21st century. Well some

continue to slip through the cracks in education health care poverty and racism still be unresolved issues. These were some of the questions being asked recently. Of the 21st century commission on African-American males. Welcome to a special edition of evening Xchange. For the remainder of this program we will look at the proceedings of that conference including interviews with commission board members like North Carolina Senator Terry Sanford and Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder. We'll talk with actors Lou Gossett and Blair Underwood. And you'll hear excerpts. Me to. My leading policymakers and educators like Dr. Franklin Jennifer of Howard University. But first this look at the plight of at risk African-American males. Things like this are played out on the streets of America on a daily basis and very often news reports focus on African-Americans as the victims and the villains.

For some communities this culture of violence is at the crisis stage. The grim statistics are reflected in a recent report by the Department of Health and Human Services. Black male teenagers are three times more likely to die from gun related deaths than from all natural causes of death combined. Black Male Teens are 11 times more likely to be killed by a gun than their white counterparts. In 1988 alone the firearm homicide rate put like teenagers jumped by a startling 38 percent. Adding to that is the fact that one out of four African-American males is in prison on probation or on parole as incredible as it may seem. The numbers in jail cells exceed those attending universities and colleges. Black males are five times more likely to be arrested seven times more likely to be convicted

nine to 11 times more likely to be executed. We have hearings on police brutality in Atlanta in St. Petersburg Florida in the past two weeks. And what we discovered is that hundreds and hundreds and thousands of black males who are arrested and charged with crime cannot afford attorneys are provided with public counsel who didn't plea bargain and and take a light sentence rather than face a trial and get a heavier sentence. They do that because they have no defense many of them are innocent or guilty only of mild infractions. There are no incumbent with a criminal record that make it difficult for them to get jobs in the marketplace. A lack of education or under education is at the root cause as they say the etiology of the problem. When you look at African-American male prisoners that are incarcerated and it was the 75 percent of them were functionally illiterate. What is the problem. What might be the point. Get everything. If you can't

read you've got to go for the underground economy. You've got to get involved in the illicit world because there you don't really have to know how to read too. To rob and to sell drugs and what have you even though some of these young men are incredibly bright. You have to be to be the boss of a drug network. While recent reports claim the drug for whites is greater than for blacks. Young black males often ply their wares on the street corners of America and that is often where conflicts arise. Drug deals go sour. There are battles over turf. All this flight from the law and through it all a dollar. The high end death reigned supreme. If you create a monster and then say look at the monster. You see again we're back at the question of what is happening to the black male. Why are there more black males in prison than in the college. Why are all these black males dying on the street. From gunshot wounds drugs AIDS etc..

Why is that happening. Why is the black male unemployment rate. What idiots. Do you see them saying. And all of these are related to me attacking me I live in the attack of race of the attacker why supremacy. We know it's no accident that the market place for drugs is in the black community. It's intentionally put bad because they can feed all the despair that makes us vulnerable. But the black community must refuse to cooperate with that assault and we must have a spiritual revival that will not let the meat that tempts us drive us to illegitimate greet. Some experts point to under-employment and unemployment as causes and the numbers do seem to support their argument. The unemployment rate for young African-American males is double the rate for young white males. So I think this is one of the most. During the fight song American society the fact that young black

males don't seem to have an equal chance Ruxton that they have a very very unequal opportunity in life. Too many of them don't break out of it. As I looked at the broader urban needs of America from my position of responsibility I concluded this was something that needed to have some attention and I concluded this was something that we might do something about this is the beginning of a very good thing for America and especially a very good thing to help what some refer to as an endangered species. We've got to be very careful however that we don't allow the people who are affected to be the victims. Many of the causes are systemic. Many of them are a part of the indifference of the ages. Many of the causes as a result of people mourning and not stop the perpetuation of second class citizenship or to see two separate Americas.

That is the metaphor does your future workforce come from a majority of 2000. People in this country will be nonwhite. Birth rate for blacks. We need to find a very large. Number of. Young men into adult surplus labor that don't have the skills to market in the tech economy. The question becomes what do you do with me can't get me to build prisons of government. They can't get me to stand on street corners daughters you know have to have someone to marry neighborhood have to have some good citizens. So it's not just a problem of the white. Community or the legislators it's even more. Recognizes that and even more acute black people but black Americans like you will care on our traditions who will continue to. Be the leaders and followers of good citizens good neighbors and in our own neighborhoods. If we don't save black man then no one else

will. I view education from the Center for Education Statistics reports that almost 13 percent of African-American males dropped out of high school last year in some major metropolitan areas before half fails to graduate and 40 percent functionally illiterate. We need to take those young men and women who are suffering under the yoke of oppression poverty crime the Lapid environment and put them in a wholesome environment where they can have the same resources available to them as they go on for their education. As my kids are many of your kids and many white kids across this country have and that may not be the answer but it is a dramatic move in the right direction. Similarly a local school district must take a leadership role in assuring that more students take college bound courses such as algebra and four years of English science and history so that all high school students will have the opportunity to go to

college even if they elect not to attend. That's a major problem around many of our communities that some insist some school districts are saying that these students and these young people cannot cannot handle this coursework and therefore they should not take it. It isn't so easy today as it was when I was growing up. But nevertheless we have to be willing to try to see fine if we can do to build the sense. The community in which we help our young people find their way. We cannot be satisfied to hear it said that this is the first generation among us that will not surpass the last and when it comes to help. The movie doesn't get any better. Black males are three times as likely to die of cancer and of AIDS as young white men. For the African American population in general. Health care often takes a backseat to both and the.

Young women and young men are responding as if AIDS cannot affect them and there again this is almost at what you would call a culturally responsible unresponsive attitude toward the epidemic so we certainly have to do more. Even among our educated young black population our studies show that there has been no improvement in black health status in our country since 1984. And this contrasts with an increase in the life expectancy for the white population of a full four years since 1970. The disparity between white and black health begins at birth. Black babies are twice as likely to die before their first baby birthday. That's quite big news. One reason for this persistent disparity is lack of access to health care among many of our poor citizens.

We need to have a national health care program and policy. One out of every five black children lives in a family that is not insured for health insurance so they do not have basic health insurance. I don't know how we convince America that it is important for the entire nation to be concerned about the premature death and destruction of 60000 of their countrymen and countrywomen. It is a disaster of a magnitude that is unbelievable. How do we convince Americans in fact to care about being 20 second in the world in infant survival. How do we going back convince them to be even more concerned that black babies die twice as often as white babies. Why is not the survival of babies the most compelling issue on the social agenda. And how do you in fact change that. That is something that I do not understand how to do except to suggest that we must continue to do is to present the reality. And the consequence is that reality to the American people in ways in which they can understand and ways in which allow them as human beings if they are in fact

still alive and often because he will beings for them to care and be concerned. The second thing I think we have to do to make this a national issue is to be able to give Americans the sense that there are answers that there are solutions some of which cost money but some of which in fact are not economically related to simply redoing some of the business of the society and more rational and profound ways. Now forget the blackmail for a minute just look at the big picture. We are less than 12 percent of America's population. And as we sit here right now over 83 percent of everybody in America on kidney dialysis machines is black folks. Why. This internal hatred I have inside of me for system that I'm not going to live in kidneys we die out racial proportion every way you can die in America we are die white folks except I will be electing some other white dude in a car with a six pack and a tree on Saturday night that I never stood but every other way for every 100000 blacks in America 3 or 5 would die from cancer for every 100000

whites in America 211 will die from cancer. Black men smoke half as many cigarettes as white men in America but the cancer death rate from smoking cigarettes is twice as high among black man is it just one white man. Why because when you internalize a racist system and act like it don't exist and you know the demand it tears your system and this is the whole immune system get to it I'm constantly in agony so I drink I over dance I would be cool. And now some with this conference can put us back where we don't need to be told in the not too distant future that the number one killer of black males 17 to 24 is homicide. Now I need to know why. For the children. To survive. The shocks are greater for a single female. How so. According to recent government statistics. Three fourths of all black children born in the 70s and 80s.

Will spend part of their childhood in a fatherless home to 80 percent of the families in the African-American community that are headed by women are pro-war and we really have to look at the impact of poverty on the male on the female on the family. Children from broken homes are six times more likely to be poor than twice as likely to drop out of school than their counterparts growing up with both parents. They're also more likely to be involved in criminal activity to abuse drugs to abuse alcohol or to suffer ill health. To become teenage parents and to become trapped in welfare dependency. Now this is not to say that children raised by a single parent are doomed to failure because there are conditions and behavior patterns which make for family success regardless of family structure.

A recent study by my department looked at successful families both to parent and single parent families to discover the distinguishing characteristics of strong families. We found that strong families exhibit a great deal of commitment to one another. Family members expressed appreciation to each other and they have good communication in spite of hectic days and busy schedules. They make time to be together. Finally while there has been an increase in the black middle class Americans because of affirmative action legislation recent gains have allegedly taken a beating at the hands of the Reagan and Bush administration's critics claim they have been insensitive to civil rights issues and the format of action legislation. And now that the economy has taken a nose dive many African-Americans who thought they had the American dream within their grasp barely

clinging to it that men with college degrees are three times more likely to be unemployed than white men with college degrees. Civil rights to many of the corporations that we are dealing with means more rights for white women. And if you look at all of the gains that have been made by black organizations over the last 10 years you will find that that the people who have probably benefited most from all of those gains legislative and otherwise have been white women just the last. 10 to 12 years we've seen America grow in different directions the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. These are the kinds of things that has to be that we have to put a stop to. We did not pass from grace and we said we want all these wrongs we want to write and we want to correct them and we want to hear what I hears in our bodies and everything we good but black folks one with us they still not would as we get a nice job with a company instead open up the window drop in a robot there so we can slip some more

if we want to lock all the doors and we don't know exists. And I nobody any smarter than me and I hope I don't have to stop. And that's part of the sickness I mean you can't sit and blame. That's part of the sickness that I mean racism. Word you cannot do to us what this system's done to us ever since we've been here. And it started way back in Africa. I have a father they sent to Louisiana. The wife they sent to Cuba and the children are sent to Jamaica. They never intended for us to get together. They did everything they could to destroy the black family. And it didn't work. We survived then and we will survive now. I believe that our side tells us that no mistake the whole circumstance and the one mistake that the white male was in charge. And if that gentleman in that environment what you call the really big problem. All black young man growing

up in America. In recognizing the urgency of issues affecting African-American males in the 21st century commission on African-American males was formed. Its stated objective is to develop national strategies and policy initiatives for the African-American male family and community featured the three day conference here in Washington what 12 panels and audiences will discuss such issues as family life employment affirmative action and health care. While much of what we heard about the problems of at risk African-American males is nothing new. One topic of discussion centered around media coverage that creates stereotypes of all African-American males. The images we see on The Daily News and on television dramatic productions tend to add to the roles of an entire community. That lack of balance portrayal of African-American males was one topic.

That conference participants discussed. If a person was from say another planet and was an only information to him when understanding who we were if they were to read the newspaper. African-Americans would be in bad shape because you see what is portrayed in electronic media the print media is in balance. Most of the time it tends to be negative even though those things take place in our community. There's an over emphasis on the negative and it isn't balanced out with the positive media needs to help us we need the media on our side in our favor. We don't need them against us as negative as cigarettes. I don't like you. I need some values here so I can go out there when I have kids. And I have a family. I want to have a rally so. Feel good about themselves. Nobody wants to see a story about a happy successful lawyer taking his 4 year old daughter to nursery school. Violence sells. Unfortunately

And in terms of blacks getting the preponderance of the attention in terms of the violence stories I think that's just the result of. Generations of stereotypes because of the media media's portrayal negative portrayal of young black males. We find ourselves if you will hating one another because we look at the newspaper and say oh another brother is killed another brother in the media if you will is so cynical in the way they report what's happening with the African-American people that we began to play into that negative stereotype and we begin to hate one another and to feel negative about one another and to feel we're no good and feel very positive about what's happening amongst black males and a black family member so what I'm saying is there are a lot more positive things going on with black males. It's just that the negative things get a lot of play. One battle I'm fighting is in Hollywood the camera and the medium of television and

the big screen. It is so incredibly powerful if we can change images of black on screen that's the first and simultaneously hopefully we can we can. Through legislation and through federal intervention some what we can we can make a change that way. Most of things that I read about young males are either drugs or gang violence and even negatively in graduate degrees. The positive moment is represented by the media a lot of times you know there are a lot of young black men who do a lot of great things but these are the people who are getting getting information allocated to them in front of the cinema collars that are going to do different things. And so that's very bothersome to me and to come to this conference and see so many positive uses. I think those images of using it a little more that a Congress I guess we hope the role of government. Awful came under intense scrutiny by conference participants including affirmative action and human

resources even in the U.S. military. African-American males have to live under a double standard. Bias exists. So when you look at those records is that officer really you know already in his life. Or is there some bias now when we say. Guys not saying necessarily racism. We're saying sometimes a lower extent and more expectation. And that's what we black English used to refer to as you have to work twice as hard as the white counterpart since the public policy was responsible for segregation that isolated us and gave us inferior education experience and limited restricted out of training opportunities. I think public policy has a responsibility to address the issue and I think anybody who says that government has no responsibility is not our friend and is not a friend of justice. And anybody who says black folks have said government had all the responsibility is a lie and the truth is not in him for we have never

put all responsibility on government. You get up in the morning before the sun gets up and go to the bus stops and see who's going to work. Is black folks trying to help themselves and see who's getting home after the sun goes down is black folks working to help themselves. We have never depended on Governor but says government affirm slavery and embrace slavery and inforce a big Asian. We think government has a model and fiscal and psychological and political and ethical and hit my Hail responsibility to do something to undo the wrong he has done already easy. I can't stress enough. What damage will be done to this country. But the president continuing and threatening to veto a civil rights bill that he knows has absolutely nothing to do with quarters. He will be sending a signal then to

African-Americans and the message will transcend America. It will transcend the Western Hemisphere. It goes so far that it will be saying to so many people that we don't match our deeds with our words. Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder was particularly critical of President Bush and the Reagan administration. He says they have been more interested in protecting endangered wildlife such as the grey wolf and bison than the African American males. If African American males are an endangered species. Usually when you find that you set up sanctuaries for endangered species if you really are serious about doing something about this species that's endangered then do something rather than talk about it. Put Yo D It's where your words are for the president to go to Hampton University and say I want to leave this nation and undivided status

and we must buy and the moons and heal their wounds because America can no longer afford to be involved with racism. The students good very rhetorical I ask by your doing what Mr. President. And they have asked that question and I am never the answer yet. Many African Americans do not think the current presidential administration will ever be sensitive to minority concerns. Despite President Bush's Points of Light Program which he is supposed to conduct outreach to minority communities his commitment to resources and willingness to meet with black leaders have always been under attack. With government funding for social and educational programs continuing to the window. Conference participants discussed other alternatives such as more input and cooperation from allies. We face a problem of enormous magnitude and I want to assure you that there are many in the United States Senate alongside Senator Sanford myself who are

prepared to tackle this problem and there are some discretionary funds available and there can be some reallocation of funds for example on rehabilitation on drugs. And I pledge my efforts along with this distinguished group to tackle this issue and to try to make sure real progress this conference is only one part of the whole investigation. The first part of the investigation of course the hearings the congressional hearings themselves the Senate Banking Committee has been holding hearings on the status of black males in America. They have a fast one on March 19th they had a second one here May 21st we look forward to having it. I want to two other major hearings one of them in an urban city away from Washington and hopefully in the Rust Belt area so that we can look at the issue of the dislocation of large masses of young black males from the labor force. What we're trying to do at this conference here is to impress the lawmakers to bring in the people who make the legislature but you also have to remember that despite everything that we talk about.

Black legislators have to do a better job in proposing developing and writing legislation. They have done a poor job in doing this. And I say that I'm taking on them as a rogue individual A There have been some somewhere I've concentrated on and have done an excellent job but I'm talking about. I mean they are here and they are many of them are ignoring those intricate details that they need to put on paper to get the last change and to change the system that affects young people all over this country. One of the conferences objectives was to come up with solutions to the problems confronting at risk African-American males many of the suggested solutions some to the around traditional values mentoring programs self-help. Innovative approaches to education and creative ways to raise money. For the next few minutes. We will share with you some of the successful programs and philosophies shared with us by conference participants

and what was that. Apart from mentor programs the goal is quite simple. Successful African Americans need to volunteer their time and expertise to help those who are at risk. Develop skills and positive self-image. I think programs such as the one in New Orleans where we start early the Louis Armstrong manhood development program it is working. It started a couple of years ago in New Orleans where we started very young at an early age with African-American males working with them on various interventions teaching them how to be respectful teaching them their history helping them academically helping them with mentoring programs and also including their parents and other family members who also need that kind of a service. So programs that work on programs that start with kids

who are very young because very often when kids are 15 16 17 Unfortunately for many of them it's too late. When I was working for us is that we have an 84 year old neighborhood center has been around for quite a few years and we have. History of reputation but it's a family social service center that brings the different segments of the family together. We have the senior citizens we have the children with the young adults. And what we try to do is make we try to connect them as part of a family family community activities. One of the activities that we have there do that is what is called rites of passage which involve the seniors in a commune. The elders in the community as well as the young children and the pre-adolescents and adolescents and we get them involved around various activities different events that we have such as Kwanzaa which we have once a year Juneteenth which we get to celebrate June 15th with the young as you know come together.

But those type activities just bringing the total family together instead of segmenting them. And I have to take required science and have it. That focused on development and then the evening you consider motivational activities for young people with some recent back to the school system. We have selected people in the school system who are marking to see if there are change yet they're not going to change the name break it will come back in the

camp grade level where you're coming from and will grow again. Fear that some are computer going to blame and never has the world will bring up back at you in the kids that we are glad of this program us that we go into the school system here with the cowslips and we're going to drive those who are most likely to drop out from the schools of that's what it is here in Japanese There's a concept called Keep. Our. Family. Off. Our. Weight. So. This is. My message. To young black. America. You've got to be able to allow a child. To put his hand on. The little children up to touch their own they can see Michael Jordans and Michael Jackson. Michael Tyson's only. Bill Cosby all

this on television. It really doesn't mean that much to a six year old. He's got to be able to lead on and type and put on your child. Before you can say OK I'll sit down. Let's do this math problem. And he sits down. Now. This is. This is. A. Guy. Who just. You got to keep that. And organized the community the only thing that has stopped the problem personally in my one on one life is my one on one course with my sons. Teach them stuff that I've asked others specifically the rites of passage of manhood. And basically the rites of passage to manhood is faith trust respect for women clean up after yourself. Hygiene I mean the basic stuff that I was kind of taught by my grandmother. And in the neighborhood and was probably one of the last neighborhoods in New York that did that. But if I did something wrong or someone else did something wrong everybody in the neighborhood was

responsible for stopping me from doing that. I want to. Kill. You. Maybe. In order to pull kids off the streets and into a positive environment. Some experts report successes with midnight basketball leagues and recreational programs. It's about giving young people between ages 17 and 21 something to do in the wee hours of the morning on hot summer nights. It's about providing an alternative that offer structure and something progressive and constructive to do. I think at the very least what we've done is we showed a troublesome segment in our community that there are people in the community that care about them and willing to spend time with them. So absolutely I think it's successful at that's at the very worst at the very best since program inception we've seen roughly a 60 percent drop in the crime rate in the town of Glen Arden alone. And we like to think we don't want to claim credit for all that we like to

think that we played a part of that. The fight will be won or lost at the community based level not in the halls of Congress and not in the radical place but to be run right on the streets conference but also pointed out the need for increased volunteerism and other community based approaches. If the African-American male is to succeed the thing the rest so as you say how do you get the money. I'm in heaven and I spend a lot of my time trying to work with veterans to give out money whether the federal state governments philanthropic organizations to be about the instruments and the requests or requests for proposals. So are the people that make the five color quickly bag applications that always get the money and they don't have any contact with anybody they subcontract with the people that can really do the work to find a way to get past that. Back in this room but what I wonder is what is the money that the black churches collect on Sundays.

And there's a lot of money in the community and I think that at some point I think I get frustrated and I just want you to know if you have a response or not but. Black folks stop yelling at other folk at the side of this black folks they can do something about it. Part of that has to do with creating a new type of socialization system to create. New types of adult types of males and females is what I call a paradigm shift. You know the creation of a new paradigm in a paradigm is nothing more than a new way of thinking and a new way of doing things that incorporate community values as opposed to the popular culture values that tend to be destructive to all people but African-Americans in particular because of racism institutional racism and some of the structural problems that we have. But more and more as they have to be involved in giving back to the community through money but I think more importantly just through our volunteering within the community to provide services to young people and people that have a need.

I firmly believe that enduring solutions to the problems are of the black community will be found with in the black community. The time has come for independent thinking for leadership from African-American men and women. We must transform a culture of violence which defeats and destroys into a culture of character which uplifts and empower not only are we going to have to do more with less. We're going to have to do more with nothing. And I think that they were moving into a whole era of volunteerism. And if we can go in and develop mentors I would like to see in every city every city across this country. We have three to 500 black men and women who say look I want to be

mentors to some chicks and some black children because unless we do want online unless the black people who have so-called made it then nobody's really made it we're all one paycheck away from poverty. But unless that group of people spend more time bringing people with them bringing them to their homes teaching them what how to speak eat talk. Then we're going to be a lost generation. Critical to the future is education and what some experts point to as a need for a different approach. What I. Propose is a multicultural curriculum. The diversity of America demands it. I not only want African-American children to know about what we've done and how we've helped build America I want my children to know this also. So they can't continue what you you tend to see white people of this arrogance that we've done everything you know you didn't do everything in fact without the contributions of that group of people that were African and enslaved

even though they were brought here against their will. They helped lay the fountain laid the foundation of this great nation without slavery without those Africans. This country could not have moved. As rapidly as it did toward becoming one of the greatest countries in the world there should be some schools that focus on male issues. Very specifically I don't promote total separation of the gender. I feel that females play a very important role in the socialization process of young black males. I don't feel that there should be if you will in masses that will in any way begin to promote the alienation if you will of males in any in an educational setting. I believe that there are some males who will fare out well in that kind of model but then there are males such as myself who grew

up you know a kid came up in the coed environment that does not need to be separated if you will from the female. Oh I'm definitely a proponent I began writing about the need to try different approaches to educating African-American boys. Back in the mid 80s because the American educational system is such a dismal failure where this particular group of children are concerned and if they don't begin to try different things nothing's going to change. So one of the things that we know is that men. I mean to be quite honest have greater control over little boys then women teachers who are trying valiantly to tend to have. And so as a prelude before the all boys school. Baltimore has several. All boys classes taught by African-American men and the classes are all African-American boys and they are

thriving absolutely thriving academically and socially. Single sex boarding schools among wealthy whites have existed. In a hundred years and they still exist. So. There's. In effect nothing different. Than what is being proposed. For black males. I don't know if it will work because I think that too many people fail to understand. What is being attempted and harp on the racial issue. And therefore that's as far as it gets. It's over the politicized but if they were to look at some of the other factors of what these people. Are trying to achieve they may say well it's not such a bad idea let's try it. Other panelists emphasized the importance of the role black institutions of higher education play in helping to save the future.

You should know that last year and the entire nation in the field of communications there were only six black Ph.D.s produced in entire United States. How universe produced by a bit of an entire nation two years ago only eight Ph.D.s in mathematics we produced two of those. And my friends that's just the Howard story and the tip of it. I could go on and on but so could Dr. Keith and so could every other historical black college president if he or she had the opportunity before you today. So not only had we served as the safety net we served as the major mechanism for producing the future black teacher force and the black professor. There in lies the absolute importance of historical black institutions and the question of whether they should exist or not should not be a question that we should even entertain form without their presence. Put quite simply African Americans and more importantly American general would be in a deep problem in terms of a

program education that had economic impacts for us all. I think our colleges will survive they will thrive they will continue to play an important role. The statistic that we always throw out about the fact that we as historically black colleges enroll the last less than 20 percent of all blacks who are pursuing backyard degrees. But we graduate about 40 percent of those who graduate with back to large degrees not because we lower standards but we call because we offer an environment that helps to build our self-esteem one that is reinforcing and supportive one that many students are comfortably in. And if you're comfortable in an environment naturally you're going to do better in terms of the pursuit of your studies despite the fact that we hear time romance a traditionally white institutions. The real fact is that most institutions of higher education only have if we average them out one and a half black active members per school. One in one hand

and black in robot at most schools as if we average it out is less than 3 percent. And if you're a black student and you're attending some white institutions and you know that your opportunity to run into a colleague is rare and when you run into him you can see the kids a smile all over the place. They seen one. And that's the only one. And those times have created problems and adjustment. And in America you know all too long we lived in America which said and we were part of it then integration was critical and we played that. And we were very active in it. And in fact to our consternation in some cases in case of higher education to almost detriment we ran into a circumstance where we were only people playing by the rules. For those African-American males who do choose to attend predominantly white institutions of higher learning rather have been a few reports of negative experiences in recent years there are a few universities trying to set a positive light. But overseeing the progress of the African-American male students

one such institution the University of Maryland Baltimore County. We received a grant for approximately a half million dollars from Robert and Jane Meyerhoff who were interested in showing that. When students are given opportunities they can rise to the occasion and do well. If we're going to need somewhere in a neighborhood of between 400000 to 500000 scientists and if we have on top of that a decline in the number of white males who have been traditionally the mainstay of science come into the workforce we're going to rely increasingly on women and minority group members. So they my Harvard group represent an opportunity for the nation to contribute to that human resource pool. And given the fact that we're in greater competition with countries now than ever before we need all the brainpower that we can get. One of the. Other panelists. The key to the future of African American males is based on moral values.

I think we have the economic development which we do need to be there. Don't get me wrong. We need to go back to work. And I think that's the value. The values and I'm strickly child into our younger years. Young ladies. We don't respect the young women. We treat them like anything. My mother told me when she first went out on a date. Her parents were in the room. And that's almost unheard of right now. The dress could only come to a certain. To a certain point. They had standards. And say we can sort of point was See the thing. This is used to come down here. Now they're just getting away from a standard we have become accustomed to hearing bad news about African-American males. There was also some

good news at this conference a number of you made it clear that despite the odds a growing number of young African-American males are doing quite well in our society and others have to say about society's perception of them. I wish I knew the formula. That. We do as many young. Black males like myself and all the buzz out here. But give me a question about you know when they say we all look alike for one thing and when a hamburger. Black person will know it will because I know that a lot intelligent was getting victimized. Unfortunately so many go and go away in a drug dealer selling drugs. That's right.

I think for the young brothers and sisters who are going to be coming up and starting to become conscious of of of blackness and the beauty of being black and the power of being black is that it's one thing to complain. It's another thing to get out there and do something about it and we know what the problems are not just roll up our sleeves and get to work. I want young people to look at us as a positive role model we want them to think that we are just because we saw or did not by any means still know. Many of you consider positive role models were participants in the conference. There were youth performances by youth part including this story performance by The Harlem. Globe. The. Attendees also included military cadets area elementary and high school students

and others but the limited numbers of grassroots organizations and young black men particularly those most at risk became a point of criticism by some that make up the conflict. Too much. Rhetoric. Lectures. Meaningless. And says we need order. We need it. We need to know. We need solutions. We know the problem. We basically we put out there every day but some that say we don't want to arriving here I had a first impression as it will be one to another conference as a lot of black people are typically amassed together to chart a full point and I will be proven. And I guess midway through I start seeing shades of light as in we're going to sound the accomplish delayed oftentimes a mother a young a brother stole my love. We start seeing the changes that we were being alienated from his process in a small because he's fit like us is 15 panels in a day

young brothers were only on the 15th one. I want to say one other thing. Brother asked me about. Cocaine in. Substandard housing. I said man you know I can tell you I never experience it. And. I said we're going to solve this thing to get some of those persons that are in a situation in you. I'm a black man yes. So one critique would be we need to have that representation. We're talking about African-American men you know just because of charges of a lack of youth involvement among other things. A number of local organizers of the conference the Nation of Islam the mentors program headed by Ernest White and concerned black men withdrew their participation in the conference. But the organizers pointed out that anyone who was here who wanted to address any of the panels was given the opportunity to do so. Here are some more responses to the critics charges.

Most of the conferences that you attend today are basically non-working conferences and I think they are there to the people presenting papers. And while the additions come out and talk about a lot of theory a conference is not an end in itself it is only a way of really getting a number of people together at one time to address different areas where addressing 15 different points different issues and looking at them. And we have civic leaders and activists and political people and foundations etc. who are looking at the presentations of the scholars who are hammering away at what's been left out. What need to be looked at etc. So this conference is not the end in itself. We also have a commission it is called the 21st century Commission and the commission is made up of some 40 to 50 commission is of course the commission is co-chaired by Douglas Wilder who is the governor of Virginia and Senator Terry Sanford the Democrat from North Carolina who have combined

to drive the commissioners and the commission is will be meeting as they have met in the past. They met after the first meeting. Of March 19th they will meet after this conference and they will review this and the substance of what is taking place here. Hopefully you can direct us to what we need to look at when we go somewhere else. And there will be a series of commission meetings and they too will be in different parts of the country. This conference is historic in many ways. One of the ways it's historic is that it's bringing together a group of scholars to talk about solutions we know what the problems are what is going on in America what is going on throughout the country that is helping to solve some of these problems. Project 2000 is one project success over the last two days here I've learned a great deal about what's going on.

To attack this problem and also this is an effort. That. I'm on the board of directors of the 21st century commission and one of the major outcomes of this will be a document that codifies things that are working. This is what you can try so that the people who are here will be able to carry back with them some approaches to attacking the lack of education the under education the unemployment the drug abuse. So it's significant in that it's the first that is that is concentrating soley on African-American males. When a conference of this nature is called the expectations are high. And indeed. It's not often that a North Carolina senator and the first black governor of Virginia get together with the nation's leading black scholars. To talk about the crisis of the African-American male. But what do conferences really achieve. Well they help us to focus on the problem and hopefully like at this conference

some of the problem. But the conferences themselves do not solve the problem. At this conference there was a lot of input and a lot of energy. But the real results don't begin till people leave this place and go to the places where they do their best work. In their home districts. Indeed. The African-American male. Or any other conference. Ultimately only be settled by the collective will and efforts. Of all of the American people. Thank you for joining us. Thank.

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