Drought map showing lack of rainfall in southern Africa
By: BlackmansStreet today
Southern African countries Zimbabwe and Namibia have announced plans to slaughter hundreds of wild elephants and other animals to feed citizens who are starving because of the severe drought that began in 2024.
Zimbabwe said Monday it would allow the killing of 200 elephants so that their meat can be distributed among needy communities. In Namibia the killing of more than 700 wild animals — including 83 elephants — is underway as part of a plan announced three weeks ago, reported the Associated Press.
Tinashe Farawo, a spokesman for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, said permits would be issued in needy communities to hunt elephants and that the agency also would kill some of the overall allotment of 200 animals.
“We will start culling as soon as we have finished issuing out permits,” Farawo said.
The elephants will be taken from an area where the population has become unsustainable, Farawo said. The hunting will take place in areas such as Hwange National Park in the country’s arid western region, where there has been increasing competition between humans and wildlife for food and water as rising temperatures make the resources more scarce.
Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia are among the countries in Southern Africa most affected by malnutrition caused by the drought.
In early June, the United Nations World Food Programme highlighted the dire effects of the drought, particularly on communities already vulnerable to food shortages.
“Rural communities we have met on the ground tell us they have never seen anything like this. They are extremely worried about their future,” said Reena Ghelani, the UN climate crisis coordinator for the El Nino response.
Southern Africa saw its driest February in 100 years, the UN reported. The area received only 20 percent of the usual rainfall.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
The U.S. Department of Justice launched a civil rights investigation into Rankin County, Mississippi, and the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD). The probe will determine whether the RCSD engages in unconstitutional practices, including excessive force, unlawful stops, and racially discriminatory policing. Rankin County, which has a population of about 160,000, is located 30 minutes east of Jackson, the state capital.
The investigation follows the highly publicized case involving the so-called “Goon Squad,” a group of five former Rankin County deputies convicted for the brutal assault of two Black men, Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker, in January 2023. Those deputies were sentenced to federal prison, but the Justice Department is now examining whether the issues within the department are more widespread.
“We are launching this investigation to examine serious allegations that the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department systematically violates people’s constitutional rights through excessive use of force, unlawful stops and arrests, and discriminatory policing,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.
The investigation will scrutinize the RCSD’s use of force, including deadly force, and evaluate whether officers have engaged in unlawful searches, stops, and arrests in violation of the Fourth Amendment. The Justice Department will also assess claims of discriminatory policing practices that could violate the 14th Amendment, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the Safe Streets Act.
Rankin County officials have pledged their cooperation with the investigation. The DOJ said it would review the sheriff department’s policies, training, and oversight systems. Investigators will gather information by meeting with community members, law enforcement officers, and department leadership.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division referenced the Goon Squad case in remarks about the investigation, stating, “Although the Goon Squad deputies are now serving time, we have received numerous reports that their actions were part of a broader pattern of misconduct that persists within the sheriff’s department.”
Officials said the investigation is being conducted under the authority of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which allows the Justice Department to address law enforcement misconduct through civil litigation. This marks the 12th such investigation into law enforcement practices opened by the Justice Department during the Biden administration. Recent investigations into departments in Phoenix and Louisville have led to significant reforms.
“The pursuit of justice is not just about punishing individual officers; it’s about ensuring that the culture of policing reflects the values of our Constitution,” Garland said. “No community should live in fear of those sworn to protect them.”
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Color of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization, and Americans for Tax Fairness released a damning report Thursday exposing the deep racial inequities entrenched in the U.S. tax system.
The issue brief “How Tax Fairness Can Promote Racial Equity,” written by Color of Change Managing Director Portia Allen-Kyle and Americans for Tax Fairness Executive Director David Kass, exposes the systemic flaws in tax policy that have widened the racial wealth gap and prevented economic mobility for Black, brown, and Indigenous communities.
The report urgently calls for sweeping reforms to stop the flow of tax benefits to the wealthiest Americans — who are overwhelmingly white — while offering concrete solutions to make the tax code work for everyone, not just the top 1%.
“An equitable tax system does two things,” Allen-Kyle asserted. “It narrows the racial wealth gap from the bottom up and spurs economic mobility for Black, brown, and Indigenous individuals and families. Our current tax code fails on both accounts. It’s a prime example of how so-called ‘colorblind’ systems actively prevent Black families from building generational wealth and economic security.”
Tax Code Deepens Racial Disparities, Experts Say
The brief pulls no punches in describing how current tax policies disproportionately benefit wealthy white families, further deepening racial inequalities. By giving preferential treatment to wealth over work, the system locks in economic advantages for white households while leaving communities of color to bear the brunt of these inequities.
“Our tax system is not only failing to address racial wealth inequality, it’s exacerbating it,” Kass warns in the report. “We privilege wealth over work, fail to adequately tax our richest households and corporations, and allow inherited fortunes to compound unchecked by taxation. This perpetuates a legacy of racial inequality.”
The racial wealth gap has exploded in recent years, with the median wealth gap between Black and white households jumping from $172,000 in 2019 to over $214,000 in 2022. Economic crises such as the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic further entrenched these divides, benefiting the already wealthy, while leaving Black, brown and Indigenous communities further behind.
The Racial Wealth Gap and Homeownership
Homeownership, long touted as a primary means of building wealth in America, has failed to deliver for Black families. The report points to factors such as biased home appraisals and a regressive property tax system as key reasons why Black homeowners have been unable to accumulate wealth at the same rate as their white counterparts.
As the brief notes, with critical provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) set to expire, now is a pivotal moment for tax reform. “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform our tax system to address racial inequality,” the report states, comparing recent monumental legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act.
Three Key Reforms to Tackle Racial Inequity
The report lays out three central reforms aimed at curbing the wealth concentration among the ultra-rich and dismantling the racial inequities baked into the tax code:
Taxing Wealth Fairly: The report calls for equalizing the tax rates on wealth and work. Currently, capital gains — profits from investments — are taxed at a far lower rate than wages earned by working people, a disparity that overwhelmingly benefits white households. The vast majority of capital gains income flows to white families, who comprise only two-thirds of taxpayers but receive 92% of the benefits from lower tax rates on investment income.
Strengthening the Estate Tax: The estate tax, which is supposed to curb the accumulation of dynastic wealth, has been weakened over time, allowing large fortunes — primarily held by white families — to grow even larger across generations. The report calls for stronger enforcement of the estate tax to prevent the further entrenchment of wealth and power within a small, overwhelmingly white elite.
Targeting Tax Deductions to Benefit Lower-Income Households: Deductions for mortgage interest, college savings, and retirement accounts disproportionately benefit wealthier, predominantly white households. In order to prevent lower-income and minority households from falling behind due to policies that are currently biased in favor of the wealthy, the brief advocates for restructuring these deductions.
Biden-Harris Administration and Senate Proposals for Change
Both the Biden-Harris administration and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden have proposed addressing the racial wealth gap. The Billionaire Minimum Income Tax (BMIT) and the Billionaire Income Tax (BIT) would ensure that the wealthiest Americans — who often go years without paying taxes — contribute their fair share. These proposals would raise over $500 billion in revenue over the next decade, which could be reinvested in healthcare, education, and housing for communities of color.
As the report points out, our current tax system is skewed in favor of the ultrawealthy. It allows the rich to avoid paying taxes on the increased value of their investments unless they sell them. They often borrow against these growing fortunes, further delaying taxation, which allows white billionaires to accumulate vast wealth while paying a fraction of what working families pay in taxes.
A Call for Urgent Action
The message from Color of Change and Americans for Tax Fairness is clear: America’s tax system is broken, and without immediate reforms, the racial wealth gap will continue to widen. “Addressing the insidious racial preferences in our tax code is one of the most direct ways we can not only help Black communities grow here and now but for generations to come,” Allen-Kyle concludes.
As the search continues for the gunmen sought in the weekend mass shooting in Birmingham’s Five Points South that killed four and wounded 17 others, authorities on Monday announced reward money of up to $100,000 offered by the FBI and Crime Stoppers.
Police Chief Scott Thurmond said investigators are still working on the theory that the barrage of automatic gunfire was a “hit” — a murder-for-hire targeting at least one of the men killed in the shooting.
Two of the victims, Carlos De’Juan McCain, 27, and Roderick Lynn Patterson Jr., 26, both were charged in past Birmingham homicides. McCain was acquitted of murder and attempted murder in 2017 in the shooting death of 15-year-old Kelvon Julius, who police said was killed in retaliation for another shooting in 2015. A young woman was also wounded in the gunfire that killed Kelvon. Kelvon’s slaying happened June 4, 2016, on 12th Street South. A second suspect pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Patterson was previously charged with murder in the 2021 shooting of 20-year-old Dentarius Maurice Jackson, who was gunned down at the gas pumps at the Chevron on First Ave. North. In 2022, the murder charge against Patterson was dismissed at the request of prosecutors citing “death, unavailability, and non-cooperation of witnesses.” Court records show no criminal histories for the other two people killed – Anitra Hollomon, 21, and Tahj Booker, 27.
Thurmond said he would not yet identify who investigators believe was the targeted victim in Saturday’s mass shooting, and said police are still trying to determine whether a second victim was also targeted. “There could be multiple motives for the one individual we believe was targeted. Others could have been targeted,’’ Thurmond said. “We’re still looking into that.”
“Some of the individuals killed have extensive criminal histories and because of that, there’s often motivation from others, and there’s people willing to pay to have them killed,’’ the chief said.
Thurmond, Mayor Randall Woodfin and other law enforcement officials held a news conference Monday to update the investigation and announce the reward. FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples announced the reward for information on arrest and conviction. Frank Barefield of Crime Stoppers said its reward is for information leading to the identity of the suspects and is the largest ever offered by them.
The previous record was $25,000 after the abuduction of Kamille “Cupcake” McKinney. The 3-year-old was abducted from a birthday party in 2019 and later found murdered. Two people were arrested and convicted.
Today we are less than seven weeks from the November 5, 2024 General Election, when we will vote for the 47th President f the United States, a Vice-President and all the 435 members of the U. S. House of Representatives. One third of the states will be electing a U. S. Senator.
The Presidential race between Kamala Harris, current Vice- President, and Donald J. Trump, former President, has attracted a lot of attention but there is a long ballot of state and local officials to also vote for on Nov. 5th.
Monday, October 21, 2024, is the last day to register to vote in the November 5th General Election. In Alabama, registration ends 14 days before an election. You have more than 30 days to register, if you will be 18 years or older on election day. You can also change your precinct and place to vote if you have moved since the last election.
As of August 2024, there are total of 3,768,164 registered voters in Alabama, a nearly a 60,000 person increase from 2020. In Greene County, we have 6,800 people registered voters. More may be added by election day.
If you were previously incarcerated and lost your voting rights, for a crime that was not of moral turpitude, you may be able to get your voting rights restored. There are several organizations in the state that specialize in restoring voting rights google and contact them if you need help with this process.
According to Greene County Circuit Clerk, Veronica Morton-Jones, “You can submit an application for an absentee ballot, for the November 5th General Election, now until October 29th for a mail in ballot. We have had our ballots since September 12, 2024, so we are ready for people who want to vote absentee.”
You are eligible for an absentee ballot, if you are out of the county on election day; if you are disabled or unable to get to the polls on election day; if you have to work beyond the polling hours; and if you are out of town for employment or studying (college students) reasons, you are eligible to vote an absentee ballot.
Jones said, “If you need an absentee ballot, you can call my office at 205-372-3598, to request a ballot and we will mail it to you. If you mail in your request for an absentee ballot, you can only mail one request in an envelope. The request for a mail-in ballot must also be accompanied by a copy of your voter’s photo identification. Your request must reach us by October 29th. Since the mails are slow, I urge you to send your absentee ballot requests now so they will not be made late by the postal service.”
Jones also indicated that you can walk into her office in the William McKinley Branch Courthouse and request an absentee ballot because you will not be in the county on election day and vote right then. This is a way for voters to select a convenient time for them to vote if they will be away or have difficulty getting to the polls o election day. The deadline for walk-in absentee voters is October 31, 2024.
If you vote absentee be sure to follow the instructions on the return envelope. You must sign your ballot and have the signatures of two witnesses or a notary to certify your signature. If you walk in to vote at the Circuit Clerk’s office, all of the personnel are notaries and can certify your signature on the ballot.
There is a new law passed in Alabama that makes it more difficult to help your relatives, friends and neighbors to vote absentee. You cannot accept funds for work in helping people to apply for and vote absentee – this will be considered “ballot harvesting” and subject to criminal penalties. You cannot collect numerous ballots and mail them in the same envelope. Each ballot must be sent in an individual envelope signed by the voter and witnessed.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Haiti to demonstrate American backing for an international initiative aimed at reducing gang-related violence in the Caribbean country. On September 5, 2024, Blinken landed in Port-au-Prince, where he presented a fresh round of assistance to refugees and met with interim prime minister Garry Conille.
Blinken informed reporters, “At this critical moment, we do need more funding, we do need more personnel to sustain and carry out the objectives of this mission.” Since President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in July 2021, gangs have taken control of large areas of Haiti. Eighty percent of Port-au-Prince, the capital, is included in this estimate. Amidst its crisis of legitimacy, the Haitian government has found it difficult to retake power and preserve calm. The violence in Haiti has spread to ten departments, and the interim administration there widened the country’s state of emergency just one day before Blinken’s arrival.
Before, the Ouest department—which includes Port-au-Prince—was the only territory covered by the state of emergency. However, a spokesman for Prime Minister Conille claimed that the enlarged emergency designation is a reflection of gang conflicts occurring in departments such as Artibonite, which is a sizable area that grows rice.
The United Nations estimates that in 2024, the violence will have pushed a record 578,074 people from their homes, making it the world’s greatest internal displacement disaster due to crime. An estimated 2,500 people lost their lives or were injured in the ongoing conflict in only the first quarter of 2024.
However, to support Haiti’s law enforcement, the Kenyan government dispatched 200 police personnel in June. Out of an anticipated 1,000 Kenyan policemen, a second wave of 200 came the next month. Nevertheless, Blinken cautioned that the Kenyan military might not be sufficient to stem the flow of gang-related violence on their own.
He has publicly asked whether a UN peacekeeping force is necessary, as have other US officials. However, it is a contentious idea in Haiti, where on their most recent deployment, UN forces caused a fatal cholera outbreak.
Between 2010 and 2019, the illness claimed the lives of around 10,000 individuals. Many in the country view international troops with caution due to the lengthy history of foreign intervention. The priority, according to Blinken during his visit, was to make sure the international community was ready to help the Kenyan soldiers going forward, who had arrived as part of a mission known as the Multinational Security Help Mission.
Last October, the operation was authorized for a one-year duration. The UN should get together again and decide on an extension, according to Blinken. “The mission itself needs to be renewed,” he noted. “That’s what we’re working on right now. But we also want something that’s reliable, that’s sustainable, and we’ll look at every option to do that. A UN peacekeeping mission is one option.”
The US has provided the most financial assistance for the project, with a $360 million pledge from President Joe Biden’s administration.
Recent news of an extra $45 million in humanitarian relief for Haiti was released. During his visit, Blinken again emphasized the need to have a stable, democratically elected administration. He urged Haitian authorities to organize fresh general elections for the next year. “That is the critical next step,” he noted. “We want to make sure Haiti is back on a clear democratic track.” Previous to the killing of President Moise, Haiti had not had federal elections. Its most recent democratically elected authorities reached the end of their terms in January 2023, and there was nobody to take their place.
At that moment, the late Moise nominated former prime minister Ariel Henry to lead the cabinet soon before his passing. However, because Henry was an unelected official and hence not very popular, local gangs took advantage of this mistrust of the government to further their own agendas and become more powerful.
In the end, Henry resigned in April, which made way for the formation of a transitional council entrusted with restoring democratic standards. “Much remains to be done, and we’re determined to continue,” Blinken noted. “It’s starting to move.”
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
The Biden-Harris administration’s mission to strengthen educational equity and economic opportunity was on full display again as the White House announced an additional $1.3 billion in federal investments for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The new funding brings the administration’s total investment in HBCUs to an unprecedented $17 billion since Fiscal Year 2021, setting a new record and further displaying the administration’s commitment to institutions that have long served as beacons of opportunity and excellence for Black Americans.
Though representing only 3% of all U.S. colleges and universities, HBCUs play a crucial role in fostering economic mobility. According to White House officials, HBCUs enroll twice as many Pell Grant-eligible low—and middle-income students as non-HBCU institutions, producing a significant percentage of Black professionals in critical fields—40% of engineers, 50% of teachers, 70% of doctors and dentists, and 80% of judges. Officials touted Vice President Kamala Harris, an alumna of Howard University, as an example of these institutions’ profound impact on shaping national leadership.
A White House fact sheet highlighted how HBCUs are not just educational powerhouses but also drivers of economic growth. Research by the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) shows that HBCUs help more than five times as many students move from the bottom 40% to the top 60% of U.S. households compared to Ivy League and other elite non-HBCU institutions. Further, a report from the Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) links HBCU enrollment with higher graduation rates and increased household incomes, affirming their role in advancing social and economic equity.
Economically, according to the UNCF, HBCUs contribute $16.5 billion annually to the U.S. economy, generate over 136,000 jobs, and produce $146 billion in lifetime earnings for their graduates. The administration’s investments aim to amplify this impact, particularly by enhancing HBCUs’ research and development (R&D) capacities in STEM fields.
The new $1.3 billion investment includes $188 million in competitive grants for R&D capacity building and $1.1 billion in funding to support students directly through need-based grants and programs like Pell Grants. According to the fact sheet, this action builds on a series of initiatives launched to expand HBCUs’ influence and capabilities, including: Innovation in Defense: The Department of Defense created the first-ever HBCU-led University Affiliated Research Center (UARC). Howard University, leading a $90 million program over five years, focuses on advancing autonomous technologies for Air Force missions.
Bridging the Digital Divide: The Department of Commerce’s Connecting-Minority-Communities program funds 43 HBCUs to secure high-speed internet, equipment, and IT personnel, directly addressing the digital divide. Leading in Clean Energy: The Department of Energy’s $7.75 million HBCU Clean Energy Education Prize is designed to enhance STEM education and inspire future leaders in clean energy fields.
Diversity in Agriculture: The Department of Agriculture’s $262.5 million investment supports 33 projects to train over 20,000 future food and agricultural leaders, emphasizing diversity in the agricultural sector.
Officials said that the unprecedented support for HBCUs reflects the administration’s broader agenda to promote educational excellence and equity. Reestablishing the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through HBCUs further signifies this commitment, they said. Further, according to the fact sheet, the administration’s diversity is a testament to this focus, with many HBCU graduates, including Harris, holding key roles.
The new funding coincides with Forbes magazine’s recent ranking of HBCUs. Forbes named Howard University the number one HBCU. It was ranked 273rd among the top 500 colleges and universities, ahead of Spelman, Morehouse, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), North Carolina A&T, and Hampton University. The rankings showcase HBCUs’ ability to produce high-earning, influential graduates from diverse economic backgrounds, often with lower student debt.
It has come to the attention of the publishers of the Greene County Democrat
that the Greene County Historical Society of Alabama plans to give its Distinguished Service Award to Judge J. Dennis Herndon.
Herndon is deceased and was a founder of the Greene County Historical Society, but there are some historical facts that suggest that his contributions to Greene County and adjoining counties were not worthy to be considered as “distinguished service” to a multi-racial democratic society, which most of us are trying to build.
Judge Herndon was the official responsible for deliberately leaving the names of Black officials, running with the National Democratic Party of Alabama (NDPA) off the ballot in 1966 and again in 1968. The NDPA had to challenge him in court and take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court to secure a special election on July 29, 1969, which led to the election of a majority Black County Commission and School Board. The Supreme Court of the United States held Circuit Judge J. Dennis Herndon in contempt for his actions to prevent Black people, in a majority Black County, from exercising their democratic right to vote for candidates of their own choosing.
Another example of Circuit Judge Herndon’s inequitable administration of justice was his treatment of the Panola Land Buying Association (PLBA), when he blocked their efforts to purchase 1,164 acres of land in Sumter County for three years from 1967 to 1970. The 40 members families of the PLBA were tenant farmers evicted from plantations in north Sumter County for engaging in civil rights activities. They just wanted some land to continue farming and build housing. The PLBA and their supporters, worked together with a white merchant in Gainesville, who had lost three tracts of land in a foreclosure, to exercise his redemption rights, under Alabama law to recover the land.
Every time the PLBA went into Judge Herndon’s court for three years he postponed and blocked a decision in their case. The lawyers for PLBA had to remove the case to Federal Court in Birmingham to get a judgement that adjudicated the redemption in their favor and allowed them to purchase the land. The Federation of Southern Cooperatives assisted the PLBA in purchasing, financing and paying for the land, a portion of which is now the organization’s Rural Training and Research Center.
We raise these concerns because we feel the Greene County Historical Society needs to appreciate the full evaluation of Judge Herndon and other white people’s past actions before giving them awards. We hope our raising these concerns will lead to a more open and truthful dialogue between Black and White people in Greene County on how to work together for a joint future with truth and justice for all.
CORRECTION
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editors
Having read your editorial regarding the late Dennis Herndon and your calling for historical accuracy please check your facts regarding who served at the 17th Circuit Court Judge during the time frame of your Editorial content regarding PLBA.
It was in fact, Emmett Hildreth, who was appointed by Alabama Governor Chauncey Sparks in 1943 to serve as Circuit Court Judge for the 17th Judicial District comprising of the counties of Greene, Marengo, and Sumter. Hildreth was subsequently elected to the position and was re-elected such that he served in the position for thirty years until his death in 1973. Dennis Herndon served as the Probate Judge of Greene County from 1959-1971. Sharon S. Trammell Editor Greene County Independent
Editors Note: We stand corrected. We regret our error; however we understand that both Judge Herndon and Judge Hildreth used the Alabama judicial system in a racist and exclusionary manner toward Black people, during the period prior to 1970.
Trucks drive bodies through the streets of Nigeria
By Ahmed Kingimi, Reuters
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Sept 3 (Reuters) – Suspected Boko Haram Islamist militants roared into a northeastern Nigerian village on motorcycles, opened fire on a market and set shops and homes ablaze, killing at least 37 people, according to a military official.
Residents said the death toll could be even higher, with villagers still missing and feared dead after fighters chased them into the bush. The attack took place on Sunday afternoon in Yobe, one of three states at the frontline of an insurgency that has lasted 15 years. Thousands of Nigerians have been killed and more than 2 million displaced.
Yobe police spokesperson Dungus Abdulkarim said the attack in Yobe’s Mafa village was apparent retaliation for the killing of two suspected Boko Haram fighters by local vigilantes.
After shooting at the market and torching buildings, the militants chased other residents into the bush and shot them, Abdulkarim added. “The terrorists killed many people, but we are yet to ascertain the actual number of casualties,” Abdulkarim said.
A military official who accompanied the army’s commanding officer for Yobe to Mafa on Monday evening said the route to the village had been rigged with explosives, which troops managed to defuse.
“We recovered 37 corpses and brought them to Babangida General Hospital,” said the official, who declined to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
Modu Mohammed, a resident, said several more residents were missing and estimated the death toll at over 100. He said some corpses were still in the bush.
The first freshman class is entering college since the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action last year — and multiple elite colleges have already reported a decline in Black student enrollment.
After the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced a decline in Black student enrollment, two more schools in the state are reporting the same. Amherst College and Tufts University, both in Massachusetts, as well as the University of Virginia, have reported drops in Black student enrollment to varying degrees. The schools in Boston have been hit harder, with Amherst’s Black student enrollment decreasing by a full 8%, according to the New York Times (NYT).
Initially enacted in 1965 and updated in 1968 to include gender, affirmative action ensured the equality of employment opportunity without regard to race, gender, religion, and national origin. Affirmative action in higher education ensured that all students received fair consideration for admission.
As the NYT further reports, many of the nation’s most elite and selective colleges have yet to release their data. The enrollment numbers across other races have also not been widely reported. However, the data that has been reported doesn’t bode well for what this could mean about Black student enrollment.
Meanwhile, according to a recent study by the American Institute for Boys and Men, historically Black colleges and universities are experiencing a decline in Black male enrollment. The report found that presently, Black men account for 26% of the student population at HBCUs, down from 36% in the mid-1970s.
According to the study’s authors, there are several factors that have led to the decline in Black male HBCU students, including a lack of proper K-12 integration. “Targeted interventions in K-12 education in Black communities, increasing the representation of Black male teachers and expanding funding opportunities for HBCUs and their potential students could all help increase Black male enrollment,” the authors wrote, adding, “Reforms in these critical areas could help HBCUs realize their full potential in supporting the educational and economic advancement of Black men.”
The study also noted many of the benefits of an HBCU education, including that HBCUs have a higher track record of enrolling lower-income students compared to non-HBCUs, and these students are more than nearly twice as likely to experience upward economic mobility.
As PWIs and other non-HBCUs continue to grapple with the lack of affirmative action, it will be interesting to see how HBCUs’ numbers are impacted. While more data is needed to fully understand the picture that is potentially being painted, college admissions have also been bracing for steep enrollment declines across the country for various reasons. Younger generations are choosing vocational programs over four-year institutions in greater numbers. Many are foregoing college and entering the workforce, citing the high costs of higher education. Not to mention, with declining American birth rates, there are simply going to be fewer younger adults.
When affirmative action was first placed on the chopping block last year, many Black leaders in higher education spoke up to warn against what could happen. Carlotta Berry, a Black professor based in Indiana, said at the time, “When I sit back and reflect on the amount of microaggressions and bias that I have seen students experience, even in a world with affirmative action, I just don’t want to imagine what Black and brown students may experience now when they go from [being] one of two or three to possibly one of one.”
