"Affirmative Action"

Melody Forgarty

Welcome Back:

We are in mid-summer and headed quickly towards the "Back to School" season. Much has changed. Affirmative Action is dead as well as set asides. Scholarships for our black youth are under attack. Republican Attorney Generals, on July 13, 2023, sent a letter to all Fortune 100 CEOs informing them they will pursue civil litigation against any businesses that seek in any way to support minorities. The Republican Attorney Generals couched their threat in the words of "race-neutral" policies in employment and contracting. Casually brushing aside, the continued bigotry of society and underplaying the injuries and injustices of their predecessors. These AGs insist we have moved beyond racial classifications. If this is true, there must be redress before we can move forward. 

“In [the school year 2019–20, the U.S. average adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR) for public high school students was 87 percent, the highest it has been since the rate was first measured in 2010–11 (79 percent). Asian/Pacific Islander students had the highest ACGR (93 percent), followed by White (90 percent), Hispanic (83 percent), Black (81 percent), and American Indian/Alaska Native (75 percent) students.”



According to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Date Feedback Report 2022, White Males represented 56% of students enrolled in American Trade Schools; 42% Black; 2% Hispanic; 2% Women. In terms of graduation, 63% are White, 37% Black, and 33% Hispanic. (https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/coi/high-school-graduation-rates?tid=4)

Redress comes in the form of reparations. We need lawyers, physicians, accountants, technologists, business owners, etc. The concepts of no formal education beyond high school and breaking the paper ceiling is not for African Americans. They are seductive illusions meant to dumb down the population. The purpose of college/university education is to teach logic, analysis, and research. The purpose of the college/university campus is to give you a network. You don't go to Harvard solely for education, you go for the network!

For those born without money, social status, or access, the opportunity to network with the privileged is vital in moving your career forward. You have been sold a bag of hogwash if you think for one second that the wealthy are not insisting their children continue their educations beyond high school. Trust, those wealthy children who do not or cannot adhere to acquiring a higher education are not in control of their family's assets or future.

So, what is our next move? We must unite, rebuild, reinvest, and move forward using the remaining tools in our arsenal, education. Investment in Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and scholarships for higher education and trade programs.   Focus on African American women as their freedom and equality ensure freedom and equality for both African Americans and women. Educate your daughters. Either send them to university or send them into the trades, not cosmetology rather plumbing, electrical, HVAC, carpentry. Move your children beyond entertainment and sports. They need to be able to write and read contracts. They must understand investments. We must be self-sustaining! 

Charles Barkley often speaks about his visits to schools. He says when he visits white schools, the kids want to be doctors and lawyers and only 10% want to be athletes and entertainers. When he visits black schools, 10% want to be doctors and lawyers while 90% want to be athletes and entertainers. Or, think of Shaq. He talks about the importance of being able to read a contract. How many of people have lost their wealth, assets, and positions because they can not read the contracts and correspondence?

One of the most lucrative opportunities for youth, specifically African Americans and women, is the construction industry. If you are not suited for a college education, consider the trades. There is a shortage of plumbers, electricians, and carpenters. Their work is not easily replicated by automation. The pay is in the six figures. There is growth and independence. That said, Black women are underrepresented in the construction industry, both in terms of gender and racial diversity. This lack of representation has resulted in limited opportunities for advancement, unequal access to resources, and a sense of isolation within the workplace. We must persevere.

There is more to share... over 767,992 construction workers currently employed in the United States.  Construction workers are 89% more likely to work at private companies in comparison to public companies. Only 47,616 are women, while 93.8% are men. The average construction worker's age is 38 years old. · The most common ethnicity of construction workers is White (52.9%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (27.7%), Black or African American (85,247 people), and Unknown (4.0%). By the way, 2% of all construction workers are LGBT.  Despite everything, the trades and the construction industry are a means to close the wealth gap. 

“Aug. 3 is Black Women’s Equal Pay Day. It marks the additional 214 days that Black women must work to catch up with what white, non-Hispanic men earned last year. In essence, Black women have to work for 579 days to make what white men do in 365, that is 1,141.33 hours of overtime.

What is your next move?

Regards

Melody Fogarty