When I saw Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on television as a middle school student in the 1960s, I did not fully grasp the magnitude of his words, but I could not tear my eyes away from the screen. Here was a powerful person who looked like me, and stood before thousands of people who marched with him on Washington, D.C. for civil rights. Looking back on that experience, I know it propelled me forward on a journey toward my own success.
I say this because the pandemic has caused more than illness and death. It is creating a dynamic that could have long-term consequences for the Black community.
Community colleges throughout the U.S. have experienced dramatic decreases in enrollment among students of color since the pandemic began. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, fall enrollment among community college undergraduate students overall declined by nearly 19 percent. Community colleges reported a 19 percent decrease in enrollment among Black men and a 16 percent decrease for Latino men.
This adds insult to injury, because we were already struggling to keep Black students in college. A 2019 report from our Chancellor’s office found that 63 percent of Black community college students do not earn a degree or certificate, or transfer to a four-year college or university within six years.
We all recognize the challenging circumstances that college students are currently facing. Many students who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19 have decided to put their academic goals on the back burner. Some of our students are experiencing homelessness and struggling simply to put food on the table, let alone pay for tuition.
We remain committed to making sure our students have a better future, our industry partners have a steady flow of skilled workers and our economy thrives.
But we also need to keep our eyes on the future. An achievement gap means fewer Black students will step into better jobs. The generation that follows them will see fewer Black teachers in the classroom, fewer Black doctors healing their illnesses and fewer leaders like Dr. King working to change the world for the better. It’s a problem that could affect multiple generations.
