The Black Informant | African American Commentary, News and Community Building

I think all of us can safely count on two hands the number of times we have heard the statement “There are more black men in prison than in college”. Black Liberals know that in order to keep whites on the hook for the sins of slavery they must always portray blacks as the class of unending struggle and of little hope. It is their bleak outlook on black America that legitimizes their cause. Bring up a point that shows black progress and you will be despised as though you were ol’ “Bull” Connor himself.

Debunking myths of black history (DeWayne Wickam for USA Today)

Myth: There are more black men in prison than in college

This is an unfair comparison. According to a report issued Monday by the American Council on Education, 635,198 black men, the vast majority ages 18 to 24, attended higher education institutions in 2001, the last year for which this data is available. Of the 803,400 black men in the nation’s state and federal prisons and local jails in 2001 just 189,200 were 18 to 24 years old. Nearly 76% of these black inmates were 25 and older, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reported.

So the more accurate statement is this: There are more than three times as many college-age black men attending higher education institutions than are locked up in this nation’s jails and prisons.

If Black History Month is to have any real value, it must debunk the myths about blacks in order to accurately tell our story.