African-Americans: Origins, Stats & Culture - Essay Sample

Introduction

The African-American population is the second-largest minority group comprising of an estimated population size of 47.8 million, 14.6%, according to the 2018 U.S. Census Bureau (United States Census Bureau, 2018). This includes those who identify as ‘Black only’ and as ‘Black in combination with another race (Black Demographics, 2019). Other Significant facts related to the African-American population include their origin, culture, religion, and social practices, which according to a research study done by Ohio State University in 2010, affirmed that the African-American culture is firmly rooted in Africa. Education has become a key element in the African-American culture, and this essay thus aims to examine the relationship between gender and educational attainment among the African-American culture.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Population Data

The African-American population is the second-largest minority group comprising an estimated population size of 47.8 million, 14.6% (United States Census Bureau, 2018). In 2017, 87% of the African Americans aged 25 and older had a highshool diploma or an equivalent. Bachelor’s degree and higher accounted for only 22% of the population (Black Demographics, 2019). Recently statistics showed that females had a 59% chance to attend a college compared to their male counterparts who had slightly less than 50% chance to attend college. Similarly, there is a very low probability of either gender to attain a bachelor’s degree or higher with 24% and 19%, respectively (HHS.gov, 2019).

The African-American culture is centered on the importance of family and religion –particularly the church. Family is critical for African-Americans, with kinship bonds extending to grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins (The Ohio State University, 2010). This is an important support system for the majority of the African-Americans. Moreover, the culture’s history has significantly contributed to its relatively low emphasis on education. For instance, the African-American males have remained to be the highest target group by the law enforcement disciplines on assumptions that they belong to a gang, are dealing with drugs, or participating in criminal activities. Such immense pressure and societal discrimination, there are shallow tendencies for African-American males to complete a college education compared to the opposite gender.

Secondly, African-American males have a high tendency to focus more on art-related activities and sports compared to education, in an article published by The Guardian, the African-American account for 70% of the NFL athletes (Lawrence, 2019). Similarly, the current dominating music culture is pop and Hip-hop, whose population is nearly 70% Africa-American. Other music genres such as jazz and rap music emerged from the inner-city African Americans in the Bronx borough of New York City in the 1970s (Ayres, 2010).

Thirdly, the position of the woman is the society is changing. Women empowerment and a strong wave of gender equality have pushed the African-American women to compete against their male counterparts in almost all economic and academic fields. In the last two decades, Africa-American women have recorded the highest numbers in courses associated with men, such as medicine, engineering, and management, and it appears that they are doing quite well.

Stereotyping has been a major concern and a drawback for the African-Americans in learning institutions. Unfortunately, the colored community, particularly males, remain to be the highest target group by the law enforcement disciplines. The Africa-Americans are still perceived as the illiterate Africans who have long died and forgotten (Ayres, 2010). African-American males are stereotyped as violent, dangerous, and criminals, which has significantly reflected on their academic performance at both high school and tertiary levels.

Solution

It has been noted that the African-American education attainment is significantly low, especially for the Bachelor’s degree and higher, which accounts for 22% of the population. Even worse is that less than 50% of males have a chance to attend college, and 19% are more likely to graduate. Females, on the other hand, are in a relatively better position with a 59% chance to attend a college and a 24% chance to graduate (HHS.gov, 2019). Luckily, there is hope, and this problem can be solved.

The first solution will be to encourage more African-American males to enroll in public colleges through funded initiative and taking friendly student loans, which are relatively lower and more affordable. An estimated 22.5% of the community lives below the federal poverty level, which contributed to the lack of prioritization for a college education.

Learning institutions need to implement a culture of unbiased, non-discrimination, and non- stereotyping of the African-American population and instead encourage positive social relations with the teachers and the administration. Like the majority of other students, the academic achievement of African.

Diversify academic courses also to include a more modernized curriculum that encourages both talent and academics (Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, 2011).

Conclusion

Data is a critical component in the decision-making process, and thus wrong, inaccurate, or unreliable information can result in misinformed decisions. For instance, erroneous data can result in ineffective policies, and huge loses if the solution involved funding. Thus, culture plays a critical role not only in providing a consistent and more reliable data but can also be used as an indicator to measure the success of implemented solutions. Age, geographical distribution, and living standards are other variables that might influence the findings.

References

Ayres, E. (2010). African Americans and the American Revolution. American Revolution Museum: https://www.historyisfun.org/learn/learning-center/colonial-america-american-revolution-learning-resources/american-revolution-essays-timelines-images/african-americans-and-the-american-revolution/

Black Demographics. (2019). The African American Population. Black Demographics: https://blackdemographics.com/population/

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, J. (2011, May 23). Solution to Black high school dropouts. Louisiana Weekly: http://www.louisianaweekly.com/solution-to-black-high-school-dropouts/

HHS.gov. (2019, August 22). Profile: Black/African Americans. U.S Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health: https://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=3&lvlid=61#:~:text=Profile%3A%20Black%2FAfrican%20Americans&text=Overview%20(Demographics)%3A%20In%20July,following%20the%20Hispanic%2FLatino%20population.

Lawrence, A. (2019, January 31). The NFL is 70% black, so why is its T.V. coverage so white? The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jan/31/nfl-tv-coverage-racial-demographics-super-bowl

The Ohio State University. (2010). The State of Black Ohio: At a Crossroads on Pathway to Opportunity. The Ohio State University. http://www.kirwaninstitute.osu.edu/reports/2010/03_2010_TheStateofBlackOhio.pdf

Unite States Census Bureau. (2018). Selected Population Profile In The United States. United States Census Bureau: https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=S0201&t=453%20-%20Black%20or%20African%20American%20alone,%20not%20Hispanic%20or%20Latino&tid=ACSSPP1Y2018.S0201&hidePreview=true