Black Male Employment
Black men. You are beautiful. And, you can achieve anything.
Unfortunately, we live in a world where these words are not said enough. Instead, we live in a world where Black men are more often than not put down. They are told negative and ugly things in order to keep the status quo going. On top of that, a lot of young Black men don’t realize the many opportunities that lie before them in life. And even then, they have many obstacles between them and those opportunities. Instead, they think their only solution as a career path is playing basketball or rapping.
Mentorship
But as we become more aware of the systematic problems surrounding Black men, professionals from varying fields are lobbying for ways to change Black youth’s circumstances.
“There's a big bandwagon that says the best way to improve human capital for kids growing up in disadvantaged circumstances is to get them while they’re young,” says Jens Ludwig, a professor at the University of Chicago and the director of the school's Crime Lab. “You can hear lots and lots of people going a half-step further than that and saying the only time you help poor kids is get them while they’re young. Get them by age 6, or you’re done.”
And what is one of the best ways that you can “get them by age 6?” By giving Black youth a mentor. Someone to look up to. Someone that they can emphasize with and recognize as a potential path for their own future. In a lot of ways, Barack Obama helped to create this necessary change. But other ways need to be established. Other Black male mentors are needed to go back to the Black community and support youth looking to better themselves (even if they don’t realize it).
Future Careers
But what fields need more Black men to step up, mentor, and then create space for other Black men to join? We’ve included a list below.
Law
The very basis of law is the protection of people’s rights and desires. By having Black men working in law and in every avenue of the law (from judges to lawmakers to lawyers and more), we create a country where Black men are properly represented and protected. As such, it’s important for Black male lawyers to show up to schools on “career days” and work with community organizations to create visibility for Black youth.
STEM
Working in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields is a thankless job. That said, they are also a job that keeps our society going. From working in more practical fields like engineering for a manufacturing company to working on theoretical work, all STEM work is important. And we need more Black men and youth taking part in it.
Medicine
On top of that, we need more Black men and youth participating in the world of Medicine. Form doctors to pharmacists, working in the world of medicine can be lucrative and rewarding. Imagine what would happen if you saw more Black male doctors or nurses walking around your hospital. Now go make it happen!
Business
Support Black businesses. Always. But even better, create black businesses too. Supporting local companies and businesses is always important but there’s something extra meaningful in supporting business run by people of color. We need more of them and we need more Black men behind them.
Education
Lastly, we need more Black men in the education system. Talk about meaningful! Seeing Black men as educators is unfortunately a rare sight in many parts of the United States of America and the world at large. Because of this, we have an obvious need for more of them. Even better, this is create a nature example of mentorship and role modeling that can help Black youth for years to come.
Black Men And Employment
So again, the goal here is to inspire Black men to dream big and work towards their dreams. Whether they want to be a teacher or a scientist, Black men can do it. They just have to believe in themselves. One first step we can take to make that a reality is to find Black men who can work as mentors for the next generation. If you’re a Black man reading this, consider where you can act as a mentor towards your younger brothers. Then go do it.
