rong>Marrying Down – One More Challenge For African American Women
As an African American Male it grieves my heart to admit it, but African American Women have now surpassed us in every significant category. And yes I know it's now common knowledge, but we are now entering into a phase in history where as we have now come face to face with a few disheartening realities.
Women now account for more than 61% of HBCU (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) students, the Associated Press found. With this alarming disproportion, your chances of interacting with a degreed professional who happens to be an African American Male has the risk of becoming as rare as a class of all white students at Dillard University.
As I take a closer look at this 61% of African American Women enrolled in college, it gave rise to a major theme from the early 90's, where are all of the Black Men?
We now know that the majority of African American Men are not even applying for financial aid, yet alone graduating from college. It has now become very obvious that if we are not in the freshmen orientations, then chances are our names will not be mentioned at the commencement services.
Her Strength
Yet the African American Woman has continued to persevere, prosper, and endure as she has always endured. The history of The African American Woman in the United States has witnessed her excel in roles as mothers, wives, slaves, ex-slaves, lawyers, scientists, entrepreneurs, newspaper correspondents, teachers, artists, farmers, washerwomen, physicians, astronauts, and now billionaire tycoons just to name a few.
All throughout her successful existence she has always had a comparable selection of African American Men to choose from, up until now. Despite her heterogeneity, her multiplicity, her particularity there has always existed a suitable male counterpart, up until now.
This is in no way an indictment of the African American Male which I belong to both fraternally and genetically, but more of a humbled observation. Even the Most Honorable Jane Pittman in her autobiography addressed the abundance of men, but yet only one suitable.
"I have known a few men since he passed, but none like Joe Pitmen"
Due to the many social issues that are still plaguing African Men, I am afraid to announce that this disparity has the potential to become the norm. With 61% of African American women currently enrolled in four year universities, this number will equate to 61% of African American woman earning twice as much as African American men.
Sure we can still take you out to dinner and show you a good time, even if the date will probably set us back a couple days salary. Having said that, a college degree is not an indication of a "Good Man." There are still brothers who never graduated from a major university that would make exceptional husbands and fathers, and there lies another challenge for African American Women.
Quantity
It didn't take me long to realize that I was in perhaps the top 15% of African American Men. Now that is not a statement of boast or pretention, but one based on what happened from 1985 – 2005. Movies like Boys N The Hood and Menace to Society depicted a gruesome epidemic of the black on black crime that plagued our communities. Just in the city of New Orleans in 1993 we were shocked to see the murder rate climb to nearly 400 African American Men, many of them under 24 years old.
Now take into account all of the African American Males we have lost over the past 20 years and factor that number with the same 61% of African American Women now enrolled in college, and it will become very clear why the African American family structure is now changing.
In a recent conversation with my really good friend, author (Love In 30 Days.com) and dating coach Shay Williams Garrett she helped understand this entire issue from a woman's perspective.
"Unfortunately the African American Woman will have to make a few exceptions to her wish list of the perfect man. No it's not fair, neither what has happen to my black brothers over the past 20 years, but it's is what it is."
With very few men graduating from college, the large number that are incarcerated, the segment that happens to be homosexual, and another portion that never even graduated from high school, African American Women may be faced with their greatest challenge yet.
Here Comes The Bride?
Tyronne Jaacques
Published by
Shay Williams Garrett
http://shaywilliamsgarrett.vox.com/
http://www.lovein30days.com/
For more information on Shay Williams Garrett please visit http://shaywilliamsgarrett.vox.com/
Tyronne Jacques is the founder of Remove It Now.com
