The wording, "half the chance," is ABC7's. Is that correct? Do they really have "half the chance," or do those kids graduate half as often as white kids? In other words, every kid has the same "chance," or opportunity, to study, to attend classes, and graduate. Their chances of graduating, however, are halved not by the system, but by social and family issues.Friend Levois writes on his blog:
"Those who don't want to be in school will need an excuse to not show up. To me neighborhood issues might suggest criminal activity, that is they're either involved in criminal activity or it's not safe to go to school on a given day.That other quote, it's in there for a reason. I want to ask this question. Where are the men?"
The absence of fathers in black families has long been a subject of hot debate. Bill Cosby has addressed this, and more recently Barack Obama has too. Levois adds:
"I would suggest that young men need something from older men. A man has to be there to guide his children in the right direction. Unfortunately in some homes it's the women as head of the household. Perhaps the man of the house is the older brother who still doesn't know a lot about the world."
Many, many black families have gotten it right, but far too many remain fatherless. Among the contributing factors: A culture of irresponsible sex, decades of rewarding single mothers with welfare on the condition that there is no man in the household, the damaging effects of rap and hip-hop glorifying the gangsta lifestyle, and so on.
Fatherless households are not unique to African Americans, to be sure. However, with rates of 70 to 90 percent of blacks being born out of wedlock in many US cities, the future looks bleak unless the trend reverses itself suddenly and thoroughly. Until then, black kids will continue to have half the chance of succeeding as their white peers. Here's the rub: Their white peers are not to blame. It's their absent fathers and their irresponsible mothers. No amount of propaganda from Jesse Jackson can change that fact.
