Still Invisible?. Elvin J. Dowling

have others. Those who are truly invisible and have been utterly left behind. They are struggling; struggling in economically and struggling academically. As a result, they may be involved in things that are not as productive or a detriment to themselves and to each other and to our community as a whole," Diggs observed.

      "So, I'm going to go back to the advice that, my parents gave me, and their parents gave them, which was a community value back in my day. It's very simple: as a Black male in America, to even be considered equal, you've got to work twice as hard and know twice as much," Diggs emphasized. "For our children, it's not enough to show up at school and do everything all the other kids are doing. Our kids need to work at knowing twice as much. And that advice goes for Black males of all ages. That reality ain't never change, and it never will. And always remember, there is no such thing as correct behavior, when your crime is the color of your skin."

      

       (Gregory Diggs: Educator & Advocate)

      

      How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements?*

      

      *All survey results displayed above are represented by the overall percentage of survey respondents. For more information on our survey methodology, please see the Author's Note, located in the front matter of the book. To review raw survey results, visit: http://bit.ly/stillinvisiblesurvey.

      

      Findings by Race

       7 out of 10 White respondents (70.41%) and Hispanic respondents (72.22%), along with more than 8 out of 10 Black respondents (84.62%) and Asian respondents (85.00%) "Strongly Agree" or "Agree" with the statement: "Black boys tend to be good athletes."

       Nearly 1/3 of all White respondents (32.92%) and Hispanic respondents (33.33%) and Black respondents (30.77%) "Strongly Agree" or "Agree" with the statement: "Black boys are inclined to criminal behavior."

       More than a quarter of all Black respondents, 4 out of 10 White respondents (40.00%), nearly half of all Hispanic respondents (47.22%), and 6 out of 10 Asian respondents (60.00%) "Strongly Agree" or "Agree" with the statement: "Black males are more likely to drop out of high school."

      Findings by Gender

       Female respondents tended to be more understanding of the plight of Black boys, with an overwhelming majority who "Strongly Disagree" or "Disagree" with the statements, "Black males are less intelligent than white males" (72.50%), and "When they become adults, most Black males don’t amount to anything" (71.00%).

       A quarter of all White female respondents (24.99%), more than half of all Black female respondents (54.54%) and nearly 6 out of 10 Hispanic female respondents (57.90%) "Strongly Agree" or "Agree" with the statement: "Most Black children come from poor neighborhoods, live in the projects or the ghetto."

       The perspective that White male respondents had concerning Black boys was overwhelmingly negative, with complete unanimity (100.00%), in which they either "Strongly Agree" or "Agree" to the following statements: a.) "Black boys tend to be more violent than white boys and are always engaged in or instigating fights'; b.) "Blacks are inclined to criminal behavior"; and c.) "Black males are more likely to drop out of high school." Additionally, more than 8 out of 10 White male respondents "Strongly Agree" or "Agree" with the statement: "When they become adults, most Black males don’t amount to anything."

      Findings by Age

       100.00% of respondents in every age group, from age 18 to over 55 years old, "Strongly Agree" or "Agree" with the statement: "Black boys tend to be more violent than white boys and are always engaged in or instigating fights."

       On average, older Americans, ages 55 and over, have a gloomy view of Black boys, with nearly 7 in 10 respondents (69.64%) who "Strongly Agree" or "Agree" with the negative statements used to describe them.

       Black respondents between the ages of 25-34 years old were the most pessimistic in their views of Black boys, with 100.00% of the respondents who either "Strongly Agree" or "Agree" with every negative statement ascribed to African-American males.

      

      Started at Bottom... Stuck at Bottom!

       African-American males born in the top income bracket have a 50-50 chance of falling into the bottom fifth of income earners during their lifetime. Even Black boys whose families make a million dollars a year, they are equally likely to be jailed as a white boy born into a family earning only $40,000 a year ("Stuck in Cycle." Hendren.)

       Black boys raised in the United States, even in the wealthiest families, still earn less as adults than white boys with similar backgrounds. Not only that, but poor students who excel in school are just as likely to end up in the bottom of the economic ladder than their wealthy ne'er-do-well counterparts (Ehrenfreund).

      Zero Tolerance Policy... Black Boys Beware!

       Boys represent 79% of preschool kids suspended once and 82% of preschool children suspended multiple times, although boys only represent 54% of preschool enrollment. ("Data Snapshot: School Discipline". p. 1).

       Black students in elementary, middle and high schools are suspended or expelled at three times the rates of white students. Typically, only 5% of white students are suspended during the school year, compared to 16% of Black students ("Data Snapshot: School Discipline". p. 1).

      Don't Start None... Won't Be None!

       Although Black pupils comprise 16% of enrollment in schools, they represent 27% of the students referred to law enforcement officials and 31% of students arrested for school related behavioral infractions. Caucasian students represent 51% of enrollment, 41% of students referred to law enforcement and 39% of all students arrested ("Data Snapshot: School Discipline". p. 6).

       African-American students with physical, mental and emotional development challenges make up 19% of the disabled student population, however 36% of the students who are subjected to mechanical restraints while in school care ("Data Snapshot: School Discipline". p. 9).

      

      Avoid