“The State of Black America 2007: Portrait of the Black Male,” a 260-page document, released this week. “It’s a problem with a major rippling effect. Not only does it impact individual Black men. It also hurts their families and communities. It’s not just a problem for the African-American community. It’s a problem for everyone in this nation.” …

“The absence of the Black man in the Black family will only lead to greater poverty for our community as a whole,” states Morial. “It helps exacerbate the disparities already existing between minorities and Whites in the United States.” …

Despite the obvious crisis among Black males, there were key positives pointed out in the report.

“A higher percentage of young black children are enrolled in early childhood education programs such as Head Start than young White children – 66 percent compared to 64 percent,” the report states. “And the youngest blacks have made strong improvements in the areas of school readiness – scoring at 94 percent of that of Whites, up from 81 percent in 2006.” …

The report outlines five specific solutions for the problems facing Black America; especially Black males:
Universal Early Childhood Education, especially for children “from disadvantaged backgrounds, a leg-up when they start school.”

Greater experimentation with all-male schools, longer school days and mentoring. The combination of “mentoring and longer days help keep young boys focused on their education and away from distractions that could lead them down the wrong paths,” the reports states…

Source: New California Media
http://tinyurl.com/2amdmx