Five years ago, I looked at my daughter’s face with concerned eyes. I worried about what the future held for her male Latino classmates. Predictive statistics like high school completion, college degree attainment and incarceration rates painted a grim future for these soon-to-be men.
Yet, there was a growing glimmer of hope. The world was abuzz about a new, combined effort to address some of the underlying issues young men of color faced. Increasing economic, mental health and mentoring resources were just some of the issues various groups were looking to resolve collaboratively.
Fast forward five years the issues are more complicated thanks to defining events such as non-gender, inclusive Latinx labels, the #MeToo Movement, and the Trump era. While some progress has been made, the institutional forces that seek to undermine Latino males and other men of color are as powerful as ever.
The Educational Gains — and Losses
Within academia, specifically higher education progress can be seen. According to Georgetown University researchers Anthony P. Carnevale and Megan L. Fasule, “the share of Latinos who had obtained at least some post-secondary education increased from 35% to 45 % between 1992 and 1996.” Latino students are also racing to catch up, completing high school and enrolling in college at rates close to their share of the population.
However, while overall educational attainment increased, so did the gap with other ethnic groups. Carnavale and Fasule write that in 1992, Latinos were 23 percentage points behind Whites and 10 percentage points behind Blacks. In 2016, they were 29 percentage points behind Whites and 21 percentage points behind Blacks. Within the community, the gap is no better between genders. In 2016, 22 % of Latina women, 25- 29, had a bachelor’s degree, compared to 16% of Hispanic men.
Latino men struggling to complete high school and college impacts what they earn but also changes the opportunities that can steer them away from criminal activity and detention. Nearly three-quarters of federal inmates (71.4%) are either of African American (37.6%) or Latino descent (33.8%). Collectively both groups only make up 21.3% of the U.S. population.
The Legacy of Black/Men of Color Initiatives
These numbers initially motivated the federal government to collaborate with foundations and non-profit groups to address obstacles facing young African American and Latino boys. Five years later, many of the coalitions that it built still exist. Coalitions like Cities United, Forward Promise, the Executive Alliance for Boys and Men of Color, and organizations like Amistades and the National Compadres Network are among hundreds doing important work away from the spotlight.
Though no longer headline news, My Brother’s Keeper and its recent summit in Oakland (with a very public Town Hall between Barack Obama and Golden State Warriors All-Star guard Steph Curry) shows that the issue is still being actively discussed across the nation.
In Texas, Dr. Victor Saez academic research has created Project M.A.L.E.S. (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success) and the Texas Education Consortium for Male Students of Color. Both produce policy briefings and college access programs to narrow the education gap.
Other BMOC initiatives have focused on reforming parts of the criminal justice system that many young men often fall through. Those legislative efforts have included ending the practice of trying juveniles as adults to eliminating criminal record check boxes from job applications.
The Political Obstacles
Local efforts have had to step up to fill in the leadership vacuum created by changes at the federal level. While a unique coalitions of conservatives and progressives were able to pass a Criminal Justice Reform Bill in 2018, the Administration has reversed a number of Obama-era policies, including re-starting contracts with private prison providers. The Administration’s hard line on immigration is also traumatizing a generation of children with state violence, family separation and other law enforcement methods. With less federal support for mental health resources and other Obamacare preventive health measures, the Administration’s policies do little to end the cycle of personal and institutional violence that young men have historically faced.
These policy viewpoints have huge implications for combating violence in Latino communities, where the issue is faced in the street and in the home. With 1 out 3 Latinas having experienced domestic violence in their lifetime, it is likely that young boys are both witnessing and experiencing interpersonal violence. That trauma is only compounded by the street and gang violence that might follow young men at school or walk the streets, the depth of which is only now being explored by scholars and policy makers.
Redefining Masculinity Can Move Us Forward
What remains brutally clear? The important conversation and investment from five years ago is only scratching the surface of what’s possible. As more scholars, elected officials and change agents have looked at the root causes that stifle boys from becoming productive men, we have to face the question of what defines masculinity. The impact this can have depends on just how much government and philanthropy at all levels continues to invest in culturally relevant research and evaluation. Breaking the cycle of community and interpersonal violence requires solutions that are both general to gender but also specific to culture, neighborhood and time.
Helping people – young or old – become the best versions of themselves ultimately means creating spaces that are safe for them to grow and explore within. Spaces that are actively accessible, no matter how they define their personal relationships or their gender. That’s where our elected officials and policymakers can be most helpful. By ensuring that children and adults have safe social, economic, educational spaces with resources they need to prosper.
Despite a lot of time and money spent on programs and coalitions, more work remains. That is not a sign of past failure. It speaks to the enormity of the original task. The challenge was a heavy lift even with the support of a President who was personally invested. It’s an even harder one now.
Is the Latino man dying? It depends on who you ask. What is certain is that he is far from living the way he is meant to be.