QUIT PLAYIN: Meet the Press at School

By Vincent L. Hall

“What do you call a Black man with a Ph.D. from Harvard?”

– Malcolm X

If you know anything about this man born Malcolm Little, aka El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, you already know the answer to his question. America still calls a Black man or woman with a Ph.D. from Harvard a “Nicca.”

But after the Supreme Court’s late ruling, you might have to call them some lucky “Niccas!”

“Meet the Press” and “60 Minutes” may no longer be on your watchlist, but some of us still hold them in the sanctum. Some of us must be as religious to reality news as some are to the “Housewives!”

Mind you. I was still in tears after hearing the unemployment rate is now twice as high for Blacks as for White Americans. But when the news anchor announced that more than 80% of the increase in the recent unemployment numbers was Black, my alarms went off.

Maybe it’s just me, but I always end up in the red when my family members get a pink slip!

Chuck Todd runs a weekly two-minute drill at Meet the Press called “By the Numbers.” He uses this segment to a) tell you something you don’t know, and b) to convince you of its relevance by giving you some data to support his claim.

This past Sunday, Chuck’s first few sentences simultaneously summoned my attention and memory.

“The Supreme Court’s decision last month putting an end to the use of affirmative action in higher education admissions paved the way for potentially dramatic changes in who gets into college and where they go.”

This statement was of great importance because most of us heard Harvard in the marquee name of the Supreme Court decision. Most of us never realized that colleges and universities, both prestigious and unknown, would be bound by this 6-3 vote.

This latest rash of Conservative backlash against the election of Obama, BLM, and WOKE would not just preclude some Black students from getting into Ivy League Schools. Worse, this would affect Black students on any campus where diversity, equity, and inclusion are stated goals and objectives.

Don’t get moist yet. My mama always said, “I’m gonna give you something to cry for.”

Let me allow Chuck Todd to do the honor.

“Since 1960, the percentage of people over age 24 with a bachelor’s degree has climbed by more than 27 percentage points, from 7.7% in 1960 to 35% in 2021, according to the census.

But among Black and Hispanic U.S. residents, the increases, while still substantial, have been smaller. Since 1960, Black people’s bachelor’s-or-more population has climbed about 20 percentage points, from 3.5% to 23.3%. And currently, 18.4% of Hispanics have bachelor’s degrees.”

So, we’re still lagging, Chuck. Is that all? Nope!

“Furthermore, the data indicate those who have four-year degrees are more likely to have jobs in the first place and more likely to hold on to their jobs when the economy dips.

“In June, the unemployment rate for those (Blacks) with bachelor’s degrees or more was 2%. For those with some college or associate degrees, it was 3.1%. For those with no college but high school diplomas, it was 3.9%, and those without diplomas had an unemployment rate of 6%.”

The bad news didn’t subside there. Chuck revealed how the SCOTUS decision to deny Biden’s tuition plan harmed Blacks worse than all others.

“Black men ages 20 to 35 are more likely to have student debt than their white and Hispanic counterparts — 44% versus 41% and 35%, respectively. Black women in that age group carry the most student loan debt by far, $11,000 on average, and they are much more likely to have student debt.”

Oh Mary, don’t you weep. Oh, Malcolm, don’t you moan.

Beyond all the horrifying and numbing numbers is a factor that there is no data. It has never mattered what they call us with a Ph.D. or “no D,” we find a way.

Our God can make a way out of no way.

And by the way. You should send your kids to college and develop the motto of my favorite reality TV show: “If it’s Sunday, it’s Meet the Press!”

Vincent L. Hall is an author, activist, and an award-winning columnist.