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M³ Report on Black Boys
Significant portions of African American girls graduate high school and go on to college. In comparison, most black boys either fail to graduate or do not go on to college.
National data indicates that the share of young black men without jobs has climbed relentlessly, with only a slight pause during the economic peak of the late 1990's. In 2000, 65 percent of black male high school dropouts in their 20's were jobless — that is, unable to find work, not seeking it or incarcerated. By 2004, the share had grown to 72 percent, compared with 34 percent of white and 19 percent of Hispanic dropouts. Even when high school graduates were included, half of black men in their 20's were jobless in 2004, up from 46 percent in 2000.
According to census data, there are about five million black men ages 20-39 in the US. Incarceration rates climbed in the 1990’s and reached historic highs in the past few years. In 1995, 16 percent of black men in their 20’s who did not attend college were in jail or prison; by 2004, 21 percent were incarcerated. By their mid 30’s, more than 6 in 10 black men who had dropped out of school had spent time in prison. Among black dropouts in their late 20’s, more are in prison on a given day – 34 percent – than are working – 30 percent.
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