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It's no shock that DC is on this list though. It's another reason why I think DC is #1.
Actually, this list seems to coincide with cities where outcomes are worse for Black men, at least at the top, with cities like Detroit, Oakland, and New Orleans all ranking so highly. And Charlottesville, VA is an oddball...sticks out like a sore thumb. This list really doesn't coincide with "mecca" status and in some ways is the opposite (towards the top), but still very, very interesting.
Actually, this list seems to coincide with cities where outcomes are worse for Black men, with cities like Detroit, Oakland, and New Orleans all ranking so highly. And Charlottesville, VA is an oddball...sticks out like a sore thumb. This list really doesn't coincide with "mecca" status and is actually somewhat the opposite, but it's still very...interesting.
That's what I'm sayin'!
It's like this list contradicts what a black mecca is to a degree.
It's like this list contradicts what a black mecca is to a degree.
I added to my original post.
It's weird; I think the criteria is very narrow to start with because only a few very specific programs are being looked at to determine how Black men and boys are being helped.
Actually, this list seems to coincide with cities where outcomes are worse for Black men, at least at the top, with cities like Detroit, Oakland, and New Orleans all ranking so highly. And Charlottesville, VA is an oddball...sticks out like a sore thumb. This list really doesn't coincide with "mecca" status and in some ways is the opposite (towards the top), but still very, very interesting.
Actually, this list seems to coincide with cities where outcomes are worse for Black men, at least at the top, with cities like Detroit, Oakland, and New Orleans all ranking so highly. And Charlottesville, VA is an oddball...sticks out like a sore thumb. This list really doesn't coincide with "mecca" status and in some ways is the opposite (towards the top), but still very, very interesting.
It's just that the criteria is too narrow and limiting; that's a big weakness when you're looking at Black male achievement across the board.
Precisely.
Also, there were quite a few random cities on the list. Along with Charlottesville, Ft. Wayne IN, Columbus GA and even Augusta GA, Shreveport LA, Mobile AL and Jackson MS seemed to be random due to their size. I would think that they would just use the 50 biggest metros or those with at least 1 million people.
Also, there were quite a few random cities on the list. Along with Charlottesville, Ft. Wayne IN, Columbus GA and even Augusta GA, Shreveport LA, Mobile AL and Jackson MS seemed to be random due to their size. I would think that they would just use the 50 biggest metros or those with at least 1 million people.
Yeah, I'm not sure what the criteria for inclusion was here. Maybe they were looking at the 50 largest cities proper with the largest population of Black males? I don't think that would explain Charlottesville's presence on the list though.
While surely factors like discrimination and lack of financial support from family are very consequential, I also think that it's possible that Black college grads need to broaden their horizons a bit beyond the typical Black meccas/magnets and consider looking at cities like Denver, Minneapolis, Austin, and Seattle. They may not have the abundance of Black culture that we want, but they are doing well on the jobs front and employers are probably tripping all over themselves in trying to hire Black talent.
While surely factors like discrimination and lack of financial support from family are very consequential, I also think that it's possible that Black college grads need to broaden their horizons a bit beyond the typical Black meccas/magnets and consider looking at cities like Denver, Minneapolis, Austin, and Seattle. They may not have the abundance of Black culture that we want, but they are doing well on the jobs front and employers are probably tripping all over themselves in trying to hire Black talent.
Well, I doubt there are that many unemployed, educated Black people who simply refuse to work in Seattle or Minneapolis. If you earned your Bachelor's degree in Sociology or African American studies, then you probably won't be able to land a job at Amazon, Microsoft, Google, etc.
The Black talent generally has little problem getting hired. These people, however, tend to stay largely clustered around the I-95 corridor. I'd be willing to bet that 50% of Black graduates of Top 20 schools (undergrad or grad) are concentrated between NYC and DC.
It is true, though, that some people could probably improve their fortunes by moving to a less competitive market.
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