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Changing the Narrative - A Message from the COO
Changing the Narrative - A Message from the COO
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This is not your regular nonprofit organization that's charged to work with black males. We are changing the narrative! College institutions already know the data. According to the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) national report (2019) states, "It is important to note, however, that among African American male students who started at public four-year institutions, the completion rate surpassed the stop-out rate." NSC defines stop-out as "having no enrollment records at any post-secondary institution during the last year of the study period" (2019). The report further states, "the African American male student completion rate moved up to 41.7 percent from 40.7 percent, while the stop-out rate fell to 38.3 percent from 42.7 percent, the sharpest drop of all groups, followed by Hispanic men (decreased by 4.1 percentage points to 27.7%)." When I look at the data, immediately, I see Jonathan, Paul, Michael, Chris, Aaron, James, John, Stuart, Andre, and Kevin. Black males who went off to college with a dream of obtaining a college degree, and no one to further coach, challenge, and connect with on campus. Black males who struggled with a sense of belonging, connection, and identity outside of being cluster into a group many colleges and universities named "atrisk." So, I ask you who is genuinely "at-risk," black males or institutions? Are black boys truly "at-risk" or "at-risk of" being misunderstood, doubted, and not valued beyond collegiate sports? This is not to pass full blame on higher institutions; this is a TOWNHALL! I am calling you into the conversations because black males have stories that include more than what you read, see, or hear on the local newspaper or national websites. We have stories, and we want you to listen. We want to be seen and heard, so creative can became or continue to test and renovate.
I will leave with you this: when you see completion rates of black males, you should also be thinking about what are you uniquely positioned to lead, charge, and/or innovate and not what black males are not doing. Hence, it birthed this organization. Welcome to Operation Grad, Inc.!
In Equity and Audacious Hope,
Jamie L. Enge Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer
