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In many ghettos around the country, African-American students aren't making it to college. The obstacles to finally "make it" are constant. Long ago, black people identified those obstacles. They've waited for mainstream America to assist them at removing the obstacles. Just as in Hurricane Katrina, help came too late.

Our African-Americans comprised of 12% of the entire U.S. population as of 2008. Just in our race, 2 million, black men are incarcerated. Only about 900,000 African-American men are enrolled in college. Very few of them are enrolled in academics only. As a First World nation, America failed to educate our people. For white Americans, the statistics are flip-flopped. Millions more white students are enrolled in colleges. Forty years of progress created an overwhelming, prison population. Our black men are disporportionately represented behind bars.

There are no black fathers to raise their sons and daughters. Single-mothers homes struggled to make decent incomes. A mother has to work two jobs and be gone 12 hours a day. Their child is robbed of a positive, role model 12 hours a day. White America won't come to our inner-cities on a white horse. White America has no problem putting our uneducated youth in jail or prison. Iowa has six prisons: Clarinda, Fort Madison, Anamosa, Mitchellville, Oakdale and Mount Pleasant. Black men are disporportionately imprisoned. In Iowa, they are 25% of jailed inmates, yet only 2% of the state's population. After integration, our race encountered these same problems. Here are several solutions to counter this trend.

1) We are in dire need of black intellectuals in our community. Everyday heroes like mentors, teachers and lawyers have to come back and show our people what success is. Far too many African-Americans are fleeing their impoverished neighborhoods to the bosom of white suburbia. That trend has to stop now.

2) Cities must build more libraries in the ghettos. The most dangerous, black child has an educated mind.

3) More churches are needed in the ghettos. The most dangerous, black child has high self-esteem and respect for their elders. God-fearing and educated African-American children won't play into white America's perverse stereotypes.

4) The liquor stores in the hood must be demolished. Alcohol is used to pacify our mind and cause mayhem within our race. Liquor stores should be removed like rotten food.

5) Pawn stores that sell guns should be closed down. Since 1982, gun violence killed more African-Americans than any race in this country. We are injured and murdered by firearms everyday. Pawnbrokers should have their weapons confiscated. Gun-runners in our community must be arrested.

For African-Americans, we are wanting progress, success and inclusion in American society. Thank you, white America, but your so-called help isn't needed. WE GOT THIS!

Learn more about this author, Marcus Brooks.
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