Sunrise Service Call to Action

 

Improving the Life Outcomes of African American Male Youth

Sandra Hughes-Hassell, Ph.D.
School of Information & Library Science
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Delivered at the 2013 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunrise Celebration
January 28, 2013,  ALA Mid-Winter Conference, Seattle
Sponsored by SRRT, BCALA, & World Book

Good morning everyone.

My reflections today focus on what I believe is one of the most critical civil rights issues of the 21^st century, the poor quality of education and library services available to many African American male youth in the United States and the subsequent negative impact this has on their life outcomes.

According to recent NAEP data, only 16% of African American 4^th graders and 14% of African American 8^th graders performed at or above the proficient level on national reading tests.  African American males performed on average, six percentage points lower than females on these tests in 4^th grade and nine points lower in 8^th grade.[1]

Poor test scores are not the worst consequence of illiteracy for these young men.  Recent research shows that lack of adequate reading and writing skills can set the stage for a continuance of intergenerational poverty, crime, and substance abuse.[2] National statistics support these claims:

• fewer than half of African American males receive their high school diplomas;[3]
• African American men make up only 5% of the United States college population;[4]
• while comprising only 14% of the national population, African American men make up over 40% of the prison population;[5]
• the unemployment rate for African American males is nearly twice that of white males;[6] and
• African American adolescents and young adults are roughly eight times more likely to be the victim of homicide than whites are in the same age group.[7]

These statistics are unacceptable.  More importantly, the life outcomes they represent are an injustice.  As Dr. King reminded us an “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

The good news is that these life outcomes are not inevitable.  They can be changed.  However, doing so will require us as a nation to make improving the lives of African American male youth a priority.

On July 26, 2012, President Obama signed the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans.[8]  This executive order challenges the education community to improve the educational achievement and life outcomes of African American youth through the implementation of rigorous academic curriculum and the provision of equitable and responsive support services.

Today I challenge the library community to join President Obama and other like-minded national and community-based organizations to take action.  To end this national tragedy.  To put the well-being and education of African American male youth at the center of our work.  To enable these young men to stride toward freedom.

There are over 120,000 libraries in the United States.[9] Imagine what we could do to improve the quality of life for African American males if libraries made doing so a priority.

Historically, librarianship has adhered to a service-oriented and empowerment-oriented value system.[10] You are all here because you actively embrace these val­ues.  Because you believe, libraries can change lives.

So what can we do to improve the life trajectory of African American male youth?

First, lobby the governing boards of our communities to provide the necessary infrastructure for developing and delivering library services to African American male youth.[11] This year 58 of the 124 District of Columbia public schools opened without a librarian.[12] In Philadelphia, most of the public schools do not employ a certified librarian, and more than 140 do not have a library.  This is despite research that links increased student reading and achievement to quality school library programs.[13]

Second, take a courageous stance and commit to working with African American male youth, to developing relationships with these young men, and to advocating for them.  Move beyond the racial and socioeconomic biases that pervade the popular culture.  Reject the deficit-oriented lens that represents the race, culture, language and other characteristics of African American male youth as limitations.  Interact with these young men as individuals, set high expectations for them, and help them develop their sense of agency.[14]

Third, honor and promote their voices.  Develop library programs that connect literacy to the real world and enable them to act in their own communities.  Create authentic and relevant programs that give them tools for self-expression, that allow them to develop a sense of agency, and that empower them to enact positive change in their lives and in their communities.[15]

Fourth, provide library resources that nurture the resolve of African American male youth and help them to imagine their place in the world.  Include resources that allow them to see themselves reflected in meaningful, relevant ways and give them the opportunity to explore different aspects of their identities.  Provide resources that provide them with access to ideas and situations beyond their own experiences, that allow them to identify and pursue their interests, that motivate them to read and learn, and that help them define their place in the world.  Provide technology that allows them to become creators and producers of information and ideas.  That allows them to tell their own stories.[16]

Fifth, create library spaces that are welcoming places for African American male youth.  Currently, many of them see libraries as hostile and unwelcoming spaces.  Make sure the library is a place where they can move about, talk, collaborate, explore, innovate, and socialize.  A place where they see their cultural heritage represented, respected and celebrated.[17]

Finally, use your voices to tell their stories—stories that counter the dominant narrative of young African American men as dangerous and without hope.  Tell the stories of the young African American men in your communities who have become doctors, lawyers, scientists, librarians, and yes, even President.

The national crisis surrounding the life outcomes of African American males in this country is real.  “More Black males died in a decade in the United States from gunshots than all the casualties in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan combined.”[18]

As Dr. King stated, “This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.”

This is the time to act.

Frederick Douglass said, “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”

My call to action today is for the library community to work to improve the life outcomes of African American male youth so they too can stride toward freedom.

Thank you.