A student recently asked me why education is so important to me. The long answer involves my conception of what it means to be a black professional in the field of student affairs in higher education. The short answer is that I have already made many mistakes that many black students might also make without the advice of someone who has been there.
I was the first in my family to earn a bachelor’s degree. When they called my name and I received my degree on stage, I know that, as an African-American male, I was part of the less than 10 percent of the world who has a post-secondary education. It opened up opportunities for me to thrive in a society that will require a degree, certificate or a training as we advance in the future. Even with so many individuals now enrolled in college or trading school, the African-American community does not have the advantage of pursuing these degrees or certificates because the education system still hinders the black community. With this in mind, it is important to understand the history of the African-American education background in our society. For instance, Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, wasn't decided until 1954, and blacks were still disadvantaged in terms of educational opportunities. Of course, things have changed since that time, but the effects of segregation still linger in our society, whether we acknowledge it or not.
The history of segregation in education is very important in this country, and it is also important to realize and understand that laws of the past do, indeed, affect the present, even though those laws are no longer (officially) in effect. That said, education is extremely important for blacks in America because there is still a long way to go to catch up and balance out the negative effects of Jim Crow legislation. For so long, many of youth in the black communities have been taught into thinking education and intelligence is “a white thing.” This lie has done more damage and continues to have a rippling effect on the progress of the black youth in the African-American community. Blacks across the country, and even some whites, know the educational systems today between predominantly white schools and black schools do not equate when it comes to resources. The No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 included language requiring states to ensure that poor and minority students are not taught at higher rates than other children by inexperienced, unqualified or out-of-field teachers. Despite the No Child Left Behind initiative, nationally, little has been done to put America’s best teachers in front of minority students.
In the story of the American dream, education and a good job are supposed to erase the class differences into which we are born and open opportunity to anyone with merit and grit, regardless of race. Under those circumstances, because more students in general are pursuing graduate studies, it is, therefore, likely that many first generation students from black communities will also become graduate students. The issues confronting them as undergraduates — integration, employment status, family situation — will be just as pressing, if not more so, in graduate school, as well. It is important for faculty to prepare to discuss the pros and cons of graduate school with these students in a way that acknowledges their life situations, yet also provides an honest assessment of how graduate school will further affect their lives. First generation students may not know where to get the information to help succeed due to an education system that hinders them from being successful. With the appropriate guidance from mentors, teachers, authors and general positive influencers within the African-American community, these students can be stirred in the right direction to better their life.
