Tony Cox: Helping Black Men Raise Failing Grades

Tell Me More w/Michel Martin | NPR

Helping Black Men Raise Failing Grades

by Tony Cox

Some thoughts about school and the struggles black kids face. Lots of folks with lots of experience have lots of opinions about what to do to better educate young African-American males. Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates recently offered yet another glimpse into the issue, suggesting in a piece for the website The Root that the need is dire, which of course it is.

But for many of us in education — and to my mind that includes parents, family and friends — the problem is more than knowing what's needed. It's knowing how to get it done and make it work, how to get young African-American men not only interested but engaged in learning, and enjoying rather than dreading the journey. That requires a lot of commitment from them and from us, and there are no shortcuts.

Besides my work here at NPR, I am a tenured professor in broadcast journalism at California State University, Los Angeles. I primarily teach writing, and it troubles me to no end to see young black men struggle in my classes because they can't or don't see the value of an education and the effort required to obtain one. Records show black male students badly lagging in their graduation rates from colleges and universities. When we see them on campus, they often dress differently, speak differently, have different expectations, and in the classroom can sometimes be difficult to reach.

Denver Bronco David Bruton Teachers Math & Science During Lockout

Tell Me More | NPR

w/Michel Martin

As the NFL tries working through its lockout, one professional football player decided to teach youth from grades one through 12. In April, Denver Broncos safety David Bruton became a substitute social studies and math teacher at Jane Chance Elementary School and Miamisburg High School (his alma mater) in Ohio.

Bruton says he got the idea from his high school coach and teachers. Why did they think he was teacher material? Bruton says maybe it was because he performed well during his own high school and college years, and he had what it took to be a role model. His patience and persistence also helps, he says.

Chasing Jamal Parris

from NPR's Tell Me More with Michel Martin

Chasing Jamal Parris: Did TV Station Cross The Line?
by Michel Martin

A newly surfaced television interview with Jamal Parris, the third of four men accusing Atlanta-area megachurch pastor Bishop Eddie Long of sexual coercion, is making its rounds online.

The local Fox affiliate in Atlanta, WAGA-TV, landed the "exclusive" interview after it dispatched its "Senior I-Team Reporter" Dale Russell to hunt for Parris in Colorado, where he now lives — but the city was not disclosed.

Apparently, the feverish hunt was successful.

Parris appears in the report looking as though he has been ambushed by Russell and his determined TV crew in a grocery store parking lot.

The reporter even goes as far as to admit, "Jamal Parris didn't want to talk at first, but before he left us he had plenty to say about Bishop Eddie Long."

Red the Full Essay @ Tell Me More

On Black Male Privilege

NPR
Tell Me More w/Michel Martin

Black Male Privilege?

A new look at the cross section of race and empowerment as it relates to black men has spelled out a new theory that one sociologist dubs "black male privilege." Host Michel Martin speaks with L'Heureux Lewis, assistant professor of sociology at the City University of New York, for more on why he thinks black male privilege exists.

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ON-THE-AIR in the Barbershop with Michel Martin

from NPR's Tell Me More with Michel Martin

Barbershop

President Laughs With Leno, AIG Anger Persists

Tell Me More, March 20, 2009 · The guys in this week's Barbershop — Jimi Izrael, Mark Anthony Neal, Eugene Wang and Geoffrey Cooper — comb through the latest headlines and give their take on the fury over AIG and recent actions by President Obama, including his recent appearance on NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno."

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