I didn’t know. I really did not know. A prospective American University Freshman messaged me on Facebook and asked, “How many black men are on American University’s campus?” I wrote back, “I would say about 500 to 800. There are about 13,000 students enrolled at AU, so I’d say 600 or 700 is about right.” My unsure answer guided me to my friend, Google. Google let me know there are indeed 13,000 students enrolled at American, either part time or full time. However, the campus is roughly 61 percent female and only 6 percent black. If you take 39 percent of the 6 percent of African Americans at American, you would find that there are approximately 315 black males on American’s campus. Unfortunately, American isn’t the only school in D.C. with a lack of black male presence on campus. According to Forbes magazine, Georgetown, Howard, George Washington and Catholic University are all predominantly (55 percent or more) female. Furthermore, with the exception of historically black Howard University, all of the major D.C. school populations are less than 7 percent black. This is shocking considering the city is known as the "Chocolate City" and its population was over 50 percent black from the late 20th century to 2011. The question remains, why aren’t there more black males attending school in the Chocolate City, and what can we do to attract more black males to the D.C. area?
I found my way to American by process of elimination. I was blessed with the opportunity during my senior year to be able to decide between three great universities, two of which were in The District. What initially drew me to The District was how versatile the city was. If you want to go to school in the suburbs, go to American. If you want to go to school in the city, go to George Washington. If you're interested in journalism, there's the Washington Post. If you're an athlete, there's Georgetown and George Washington. If you want to go to an HBCU, there's Howard University. If you're interested in politics, I don't even have to tell you why D.C. is a great fit. The District is anything and everything you want to make it.
Consider this article an open letter to admissions officers and black males in the class of 2016. We need you. When schools talk about diversity, you can be a part of that diversity. We are the home of the March on Washington. We are the home of the first black President of the United States. Who knows? In 2016, we could be the homes of basketball superstars Kevin Durant and John Wall (#DurantWall2016). I know there are ton of schools across the country that you can choose to go to, but at least give D.C. a chance. It will be worth your while.
