Community leaders, educators and citizens across the state are examining ways to respond to the results of a report on Indiana’s Black youth.
Last week Indiana Black Expo (IBE) released its biannual State of Our Black Youth report, which serves as a survey of how African American youth are holding up in areas such as economics, education, health care and juvenile justice.
This time the report appears to be a mixed bag for most readers. On one hand it presented good news, such as the fact that there are more Black students attending four year universities and two-year vocational and technical colleges. In addition, the number of juvenile crime charges being filed against Black youth has fallen significantly.
However, many have also been startled by alarming statistics that cry out for change.
For example, almost two-thirds of Black Hoosier families are now headed by a single parent, more than three-quarters of Hoosier Black children were born to unmarried parents between 2000 and 2005, the child poverty rate for Black children has increased by more than 30 percent and over 50 out of every 1,000 Black students are dropping out of high school.
Arvis Dawson, chairman of the board of IBE, advised individuals who view the report to not become discouraged, but instead take action and view the information as a wake up call.
“It’s a challenge,” said Dawson, “I don’t see it as negative. It’s a challenge, and we must get prepared to meet that challenge. Among other things we have to work harder to instill the importance of education to our youth.”
Among other trends, the report noted the number of Black babies born outside or marriage in Indiana has increased from over 75 percent in 2000 to 77 percent in 2005, and the birth rate among Black teenage girls in Indiana has now exceeded the national average.
“We’re facing an absolute tragedy,” said Dr. Marvin Scott, professor of sociology at Butler University, who is African American. “It all goes back to how much (or how little) we emphasize values in this country and our attitude toward success and responsibility. We can embrace as many alternative lifestyles as we want, but until we strengthen the institution of the family these problems aren’t going away.”
The IBE report also indicated that Indianapolis, despite being the state’s largest city, has fewer youth service organizations and mentoring programs than other cities in Indiana.
Rev. Ronald Covington, pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in Indianapolis, believes the main challenge in that area is economic.
“Basically there’s a financial need that’s not being met,” said Covington, whose congregation operates a Westside recreation center for youth. “Revenue from both private and public sectors must be raised to adequately support youth programs.”
Covington said many existing youth organizations, especially those that are faith-based, have been doing everything possible with their own resources, but need more support from outside investors to expand outreach in large neighborhoods.
“In our case many people expressed a willingness to help get our facility up and running,” he added. “But the financial resources have been hard to find.”
In another alarming disclosure, the report indicated over 50 out of every 1,000 Black students statewide are failing to graduate from high school, up from the 30 out of every 1,000 who dropped out in 2000.
City-County Councilman Jose Evans believes educators should abandon the traditional “one size fits all” approach that many schools use and diversify the way they engage students from what he calls “the hip-hop” generation.
He applauds Indianapolis Public Schools for establishing themed “small schools,” but believes they should be made more “democratic” so students can play a greater role in shaping classroom programs and actually retain interest in what they learn.
“Educators must see hip-hop culture as an asset, validating and affirming urban and Black youth identity. This taps into the oppositional culture of hip-hop, creating new and more inclusive forms of schooling,” said Evans. “ It is also important to emphasize culturally relevant teaching, which creates critical thinkers who do not just assimilate in the dominant culture without questioning, but who construct their own knowledge.”
