The Southern Education Foundation (SEF) just published a report detailing the make up of public schools from an income perspective. The report indicates that low income students now make up a solid majority in the South. For a comprehensive review of this report and its findings, see our link to the SEF.
The report and its findings are not my main focus. Rather, I believe we should put a bright light on the formula for avoiding poverty.
In his book ENOUGH, Juan Williams records, in simple terms, what I think is the right prescription.
Mr. Williams says "The good news is that there is a formula for getting out of poverty today."
Step one: Finish high school (that also means you must do well in school, my emphasis)and finishing college (or other trade school, my emphasis) is much better.
Step two: Take a job (any job,my emphasis) and hold it.
Step three: Marry after finishing school and while you have a job.
Step four: Have children only after you are twenty-one and married.
Williams goes on to say "The poverty rate for any black man or woman who follows that formula is 6.4 percent. The overall poverty rate for black Americans, based on 2002 census data, the year this analysis was done, was 21.5 percent. In other words, by meeting those basic requirements, black Americans can cut their chances of being poor by two-thirds."
I know that circumstances will not always allow one to package his or her life in a neat step by step fashion. Just as following the formula will not guarantee you will not be poor. But, the message makes a lot of sense to me and it is a message that should be embraced and repeated within the black community.
What do you think?
1 comment:
I really enjoyed this post. Can you point us to Juan Williams' home page where he can cite his figures?
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