Visiblemen

Most Americans are well aware of the troubling statistics. The statistics report that black boys and men are over represented in the criminal justice system, impoverished, have poor access to health care and have high morbidity and mortality rates, and they are under represented in the classroom, particularly in higher education. Behind the numbers are real human beings, real stories, real potential that has not been actualized.  Consider the following key facts:

Prison

• A Black boy born in 2001 has a 1 in 3 chance of going to prison in his lifetime; a Latino boy a 1 in 6 chance; and a White boy a 1 in 17 chance. A Black girl born in 2001 has a 1 in 17 chance of going to prison in her lifetime; a Latino girl a 1 in 45 chance; and a White girl a 1 in 111 chance.
• Black men are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. The percentage of young black men in prison is nearly three times that of Hispanic men and nearly seven times that of white men (Fig. 4). While Black men represent 14% of the population of young men in the U.S., they represent over 40% of the prison population.4 This figure does not include the number of young men on parole.

Poverty

• Black children are more than three times as likely as White children to be born into poverty and to be poor, and are four times as likely to live in extreme poverty. 3 in 7 Black babies are born into poverty.  1 in 3 Black children are poor. Between 2000 and 2007, the number of poor Black children increased by 323,000 (to 3.9 million).

Limited access to Healthcare

• One out of eight Black children is uninsured, compared to one out of 13 White children.
  Young men, regardless of race or ethnicity, are more likely to be uninsured than any other age group.  People without health insurance are more likely than those with
  health insurance to delay needed care, less likely to fill prescriptions, and more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage when they do finally seek care. They are also less likely to have a usual source of care.
• Young Black men die at a rate that is at least 44 are still 3 times that of Hispanics and American Indians of that age group. Homicide rates also are higher than the HIV death rate for Black men ages 25-44. The higher death rates experienced by young Black men mask some of their healthier behaviors.

Disparate Educational Opportunities

• Eighty-six percent of Black fourth graders cannot read at grade level while, 83 percent of Latino and 58 percent of White fourth graders cannot read at grade level; and 89 percent of Black, 85 percent of Latino and 59 percent of White 8th graders cannot do math at grade level.
• Black students are more likely than any other students to be in special education programs for children with mental retardation or emotional disturbance. Black and American Indian children are almost twice as likely as White children to be retained in a grade. The public school suspension rate among Black and American Indian students is almost three times that for Whites.  Black, Latino, and American Indian children are more than twice as likely as White children to drop out of school. According to the US Department of Education, only 59 percent of Black students graduated from high school on time with a regular diploma in 2006.
• When Black children do graduate from high school, they have a greater chance of being unemployed and a lower chance of going to college full-time than White high school graduates. Only 48,000 Black males earn a bachelor’s degree each year, but an estimated 1 in 3 Black men ages 20-29 is under correctional supervision or control. Approximately 815,000 Black males were incarcerated in state or federal prisons or local jails at mid-year 2007.
• The unemployment rate for young Black men is over twice the rate for young white, Hispanic and Asian men . In addition, fewer Black men between the ages of 16 and 29 are in the labor force compared to white, Hispanic and Asian men in the same age group. Over 20% of young Black men live in poverty compared to 18% of Hispanic, 12% of Asian and 10% of white men.
• Fewer than 8% of young Black men have graduated from college compared to 17% of whites and 35% of Asians.

Conclusion:
The statistics are unacceptable. They are unacceptable on a humanitarian, economic and societal level.  Visible Men will take a unique and progressive approach in empowering young black boys and men. We will provide thousands of stories, images and real life Visible Men and share their success principles with others.  We join with countless scholars, doctors, policy makers, therapists, economists and concerned citizens who want to empower and inspire young black boys to reach their true potential. The statistics will change, one child at a time.

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Sources
1.  Stoops, N. Educational Attainment in the United States: 2003. Current
Population Reports. June 2004.
2.  Table 13. Enrollment Status of Recent High School Graduates 16 to 24
Years Old. U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, October 2004. 
Accessed July 6, 2006.
URL: www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school/cps2004.html
3.  U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey, Annual Social and
Economic Supplement, 2005. Accessed July 6, 2006.
URL: http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/cpstc/cps_table_creator.html
4.  Harrison PM and Beck AJ. Prisoners in 2004. Bureau of Justice Statistics
Bulletin. October 2005.
5.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury
6. Children’s Defense Fund Cradle to Prison Pipeline® Campaign , February 19, 2009, childrensdefense.org .
7. www.anewconversationwithmen.com 
8. www.morehousemaleinitiative.com
8.  Schott Foundation for Public Education, 50 state report on Public Education & Black Male, www.blackboysreport.org