Photos: NBA.com\YouTube Screenshots
School is back in session, and students around the country are preparing to take the court and shoot their best shots at their educational goals.
For many African-American students though, they’re beginning the game with a disadvantaged scoreboard. Be it insufficient funding, outdated textbooks, understaffed schools, or inept teachers, the strikes against them can add up before their chance to play begins. And oftentimes, that results in a predetermined defeat as opposed to sweet victory.
That’s why the NBA Foundation supports organizations like the three we’ll spotlight in today’s piece. They strive to level the playing field for students in underserved communities and provide them with the tools, resources and guidance they need to let their brilliance shine.
The Center for Black Educator Development, the Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization and InsideOut Literary Arts recognize these disparities and work valiantly to even the playing field for students of color. Through pathways like poetry, peer mentoring and professional development, all three serve as powerful pillars for progression in the Black community. Each is headquartered in a major U.S. city (Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit), but through connection and collaboration, all are able to make long-lasting impacts that stretch nationwide.
Black youth made up 7.4 million of 49.2 million students (just over 15 percent) enrolled in pre-K-12 public schools in Fall 2020.
For those in predominantly Black schools, access to college-level courses is vastly limited. Nationwide, just 29 percent of Black and Latino students are enrolled in at least one AP course. The disparities grow larger when it comes to postsecondary education, as just 12.5 percent of all college students were African-American in Fall 2020.
We commend these organizations that, in recognition of these discrepancies, work tirelessly to reverse these trends and empower Black youth.
