It was Joshua Almond’s first semester grade point average of 3.53 that gave him the motivation he needed to succeed at West Georgia State University. But, Almond didn’t get that GPA alone.
Having been a good student in high school, Almond had some help with the often difficult transition into college academia. When he arrived at West Georgia State in 2006, he was greeted with open arms by other Black males who were part of the Center for African-American Male Research, Success, and Leadership (CAAMRSL).
“CAAMRSL is definitely making a huge difference in the lives of African-American males and is shaping the campus of the University of West Georgia into a production factory of intelligent, resourceful, and great African-American males,” Almond said in an interview. Almond doesn’t believe he would have been able to make it as far as he has without the strong support system that CAAMRSL has provided. He is not alone.
In higher education Black males have lagged behind Black women and their counterparts for decades. Since 1990 Black women have increased their four-year college graduation rate by 14 percentage points, now standing at 48 percent. For Black men, there was a nine-percentage point gain during a 17-year period, and their graduation rate is now 37 percent.
According to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, African-Americans at colleges and universities across the nation have a ‘very low’ graduation rate of 44 percent. Despite the disparities in the graduation rates of Black males, there are strides being made across the country to help them get into and stay in college. According to data provided by the Georgia State System African-American Male Initiative (AAMI), of which CAAMRSL is a part, the gap between the enrollment, retention and graduation rates of African-American males and females has decreased.
BlackPressUSA.com
