Dear Brothers,
The need for us as black men to become involved in the issue of public education is obvious.
In a global economy, the need for a strong educational foundation is essential for our children if they are to compete for the jobs and careers of the future. Yet in the city of Boston, a school district proclaimed by urban education experts as the best public school system in America;
* More than 50% of young men and women fail to graduate with their freshmen class,
* Virtually every graduate of Boston Public Schools who attends college are required to take remedial classes before their official matriculation, and
* Less than 3% of African American males who graduate from BPS secure their college diplomas within 8 years of graduating high school.
Boston may have the best urban system in America, but the above statistics in and of themselves must be unacceptable to us as black people.
And where our collective voices as black people should be raised in outrage, we as an entire community are virtually invisible in the halls of government or in school committee meetings where decisions as to how to educate our children are made.
Brothers, we write to you because the time has come for responsible men to stand up, take leadership, demand accountability, and provide direction to our community on the issue of how black children are being educated in the city of Boston. We know two things to be real…that education is the method by which we rise and grow as a people, and that securing a quality education for our children is indeed the civil rights issue of our lifetime.
Please join us for a black men’s leadership breakfast on Monday, November 23rd at the Boston Foundation 75 Arlington Street 10th floor at 8:30AM. We will discuss strategies, ideas, and determine a process by which we may become engaged in a meaningful way to assure that black men are providing leadership in the effort to educate our children.
Union of Minority Neighborhoods
http://www.unionofminorityneighborhoods.org
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