The African-American Student: At Risk

Abstract

If we all suffer and survive among those marginalized, as some readers of this piece may want to say, then my response to that is that AfricanAmericans do so differently. Caucasian women are in need of positive reinforcement as are those of the underclass and the non-traditional older student. So are Asians and Hispanics and Native Americans. I am not arguing this point. But with African-American students, there are many differences that do not, generally, apply to others. A case in point occurred yesterday afternoon when a well-bred, calm, quiet African-American male from Detroit came to my office, by appointment, to ask me to go over the paper he had just turned in. Much of what he said could be applied to any student. He was not sure he would survive in college. Any number of students may feel that way. However, this young man comes from the oral tradition, as dictated by the black church, slavery, barber shop ritual, and popular culture appeal. While African-Americans are found in all classes of society, the vast majority come from homes where a social letter may never have been written by anyone in the family. Telephone calls are common. There is conversation at the high school reunion or the family reunion, but writing is not a process in which many engage. The written word, for many, is the language of an unknown tongue. Secondly, this young African-American student is one of four children in a single-parent home headed by a mother who does not work. He aspires to be an engineer. His mother supports him in this goal emotionally, but she is not a woman with formal training. While there are a number of productive, well--