![]() ![]() Young black men are influenced negatively by rap music and its messages about the desirability of material things. “We (black males) have been brainwashed and socialized to believe that the darker your skin is, the less capable you are.” Black boys have experienced a progressive loss of hope. He grew up in Milwaukee where he lived with his mother and one sister. Mikael, 20, (not pictured) is a sophomore majoring in international business at Marquette University in Milwaukee. You’ll go to jail or the grave.” Despite that, black males “can make a choice to be on the corner selling dope, or we can be in class, doing what we have to do, learning something.” If I want to get an education and be successful, it’s me.” Without an education, Rasean said, “it’s over, being out there on the streets. “When it all comes down to it, if I want to be in the streets, it’s me. They need a role model.” Rasean also said it’s hard for black males to find success “because they feel like the providers of the family. “They don’t got nobody to support them at home. “We think because we are from the ‘hood’ we don’t have a chance to do something with ourselves.” They think they won’t amount to anything because they think whites are going to be higher than blacks.” In his neighborhood, most of “the guys around here, they went to jail,” or “they drop out of school, for drugs and everything. He lives with his grandmother, grandfather, aunt, two sisters, one brother, three cousins, and his stepsister.īoys drop out because “they think they can’t make it. ![]() ![]() Rasean, 13, (not pictured) is an 8th grader in Washington, D.C. They can still be good in school, but do bad stuff outside of school, and that makes them stop doing good in school.” If the people they hang out with are bad and do wrong things, I think they’ll try to be like their friends, and they’ll start being off task in school. The biggest factor in determining what will make black males successful academically is “who they hang out with. All they think about is money-like selling drugs and getting money. Vincent Hunterīoys drop out of school because they’re “following what they see,” and they do not see black males who are traditionally successful.īlack males also drop out of school “because they want to be like what they see, what their surroundings are. He lives with his mother, grandfather, two sisters, and a brother. Their parent might not be there for them, and they’ll have no one to express their feelings to, and they’ll get in fights.”ĭamon, 13, (left) is an 8th grader in Washington, D.C. If a parent had a bad childhood, then it’s passed down generations. Parents are the biggest factor in black males’ success because it means “they will be in a good environment and off the streets. ![]() If we had more leaders and less followers, we would be on top.” Without an education, Dominique said he “may become a drug dealer.”īlack males aren’t successful “because we don’t try our hardest, we fall into our environment. He lives with his mother in transitional housing. If I don’t get my education, my future looks messed up, ugly, and poor.”ĭominique, 13, (not pictured) is an 8th grader in Washington, D.C. “We don’t take stuff seriously because we want to smoke, do alcohol, and steal (instead of spending time studying). He lives with both parents, occasionally with a grandmother. “Teachers do everything they can but they need parent involvement.”ĭ’Angelo, 15, (not pictured) is a high school freshman in Washington, D.C. He grew up in Milwaukee and lived with both parents and one sister.īlack boys lack enough positive male role models, often having only “the drug rats on the street.”Ĭhildren need someone to ensure that they do homework or do the right thing at school. If you don’t learn something when you’re young, when you grow up, it might be hard to change.”ĭevonte, 19, (not pictured) is a sophomore studying electrical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prince also said a good family life and home environment are important for success in school, but a lot of young boys don’t have that “because their parents weren’t there for them. They want to be just like their friends.” They see their parents and friends smoking and cursing. Without an education, “I will be in the street asking for money.”īlack males aren’t successful because of “drugs and stuff. “The rap culture” teaches young black males to live a life on the street and not worry about education. He lives with his mother, stepdad, and younger sister. Prince, 13, is an 8th grader in Washington, D.C. ![]()
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