Ernest Saadiq Morris:
Upon reading Yvette Carnell's recent column, "Low Black Male Graduation Rates Indicate a Failure in Faith, Not Circumstances", I found it hard to believe the author was suggesting that young Black Males, a term she inexplicably says is devoid of love, merely need an attitude adjustment and self-love to achieve in the classroom and meet their full potential in life. This 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps' admonition rings hollow.
Certainly true self-esteem and confidence are positive attributes, but Black youth face a particularly grim daily reality that threatens their healthy development from their first step inside the public school system. The Black male achievement deficit is only a symptom of interrelated factors conspiring against them, including but not limited to, widespread disenfranchisement of the right to equal educational opportunity, limited job opportunity and disproportionate contact with the criminal justice system. Our Youth Don't Need Bootstraps, They Need Us
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