This Country Must Begin to Invest in Black Men Like it Did Poor Women

Ten years ago, the federal government committed itself to lifting women out of poverty and reducing the number of families dependent on welfare. Over $50 billion in public and private funds have been invested in programs designed to prepare low-income women for sustainable employment. While this push to reform the public welfare system drew criticism -- much of it deserved -- many poor women appear to be doing better than they were a decade ago. The same cannot be said for black men. While the nation was focused on uplifting poor women, brothers fell behind.

We’re familiar with the troubles that plague our men –- lack of jobs, lure of the street life, a prison industrial complex dedicated to feeding on our youth –- but, according to a recently released report, black men are worse off than we previously thought. The study revealed that half of all black men living in the inner city fail to finish high school. Dropping out, more often than not, leads to prison -- among dropouts in their late 20s, 34 percent have spent time in prison. By their mid-30s, 60 percent of black men who dropped out of high school have served time. The study goes on to list other heartbreaking facts -- record-setting incarceration and high unemployment rates, low high school completion numbers and even lower college graduation figures. The list goes on and on.

Despite the progress made by other segments of American society, black women included, the black male reality has become more and more removed from the reality of mainstream America. This disconnect only serves to damage our already fragile communities: too many sisters are raising their children alone and, as more black women realize their “American dream” by graduating from college and becoming homeowners, the gap between our men and our women will only widen. With fewer positive male role models to look up to, our boys will fall victim to the streets. It’s a dangerous cycle.

This country must begin to invest in black men, the same way it invested in low-income women. If black men are to thrive, the government must put more money towards educating our men, rather than incarcerating them. Lawmakers must support training programs -- job and life skills training -- that will provide our men with the tools they need to become productive citizens. Inner city high schools should develop retention programs that specifically target at-risk teens; keeping our boys in school is the first step to curbing these disturbing trends. Community organizations should provide after-school tutoring and mentoring and actively recruit troubled teens to sign-up. Additionally, the criminal justice system that appears to destroy black men must be reformed.

As African-Americans, we have a duty to our people; when one of us is doing well, we must reach back and help another. We must begin to take personal responsibility for the men in our lives and ensure they stay on the right track. It’s going to take a lot of work to bring black men back to where they need -- and deserve -- to be. But, if we fully commit ourselves to the task, we can lift our brothers up.

Judge Greg Mathis is national vice president of Rainbow PUSH and a national board member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.