“Raised without much structure, young black men often reject the education process and gravitate towards street culture. It’s a personal decision.”
When O’Reilly discusses young black men who gravitate toward the “street culture,” he acts as if it represents every young black male. But according to the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education, 1.4 million black males are in college versus 824,320 who are in jail. And most college students are between the ages of 18-24. When it comes to prison, you are looking at a much larger age bracket. Indeed, more attention must be paid to young black males who fall through the cracks, but we must also commend those who beat tremendous odds and found success. They do exist.
