Nov. 2, 2014

All Colleges Are Not Created Equal
By Julianne Malveaux

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - The most common model of college attendance is that a young person graduates from high school and heads directly to college, perhaps taking a year off in between to work, take a “thirteenth year” or explore options.  While many students start off right after high school, some of them have breaks in their higher education, dropping out to save money to continue, or to deal with family matters.  The most common model is not the only model, however.  Mature adults who did not attend or finish college through the most common model are referred to as  “returning students” or “nontraditional students”.  Some get their degrees through online programs.  A few colleges (Bay Path College in Massachusetts, is one example) have developed Saturday programs where women can earn a four-year degree by attending college only on Saturdays.

Concerned by high unemployment rates and eager to enhance their employability, many mature college students turn to for-profit colleges (sometimes called “career colleges”) for their education.   Some of these students, barraged by television ads, are convinced that for-profit colleges, where they can attend during the evening or online, allow them the flexibility they need to manage work, family and education.  And since federal funds, such as Pell grants and subsidized loans, are available to take care of costs, some students who attend for-profit colleges are pressured to take out these loans.   If they drop out, they are still required to repay their loans, just as they would have to in any other college.

But all colleges are not created equal.  About once a week, I get a call from a mature student whose time at a career college was unrewarding.  One woman failed a math test but could not get feedback from her instructor on what she did wrong.  Appeals to others in the chain of command went unanswered.  In another case, a young woman desperately needed counseling.  She ended up getting it from a community organization, not from her career college.  To cite just a few cases to make a point is casual empiricism, but my direct knowledge of some students’ plight raises a few questions for me.

Many students get training, but not jobs.  Many are saddled with loans they cannot ever afford to repay; and the costs of attending career colleges are high.  The Department of Education estimates that it costs four times as much to attend a career college as to attend a community college.

Why are costs so high when services are so limited?  Partly because many career colleges are publicly traded and the pressure is on for them to make a profit to provide dividends for their shareholders.  Another reason is that salaries for leaders are extremely high.  At ITT Technical Institute, CEO Kevin Monday earned $8.76 million in 2012.  DeVry University President Daniel Hamburger earned $6.4 million in 2012.  The Apollo Group, which includes the University of Phoenix, paid Gregory Cappelli $4.54 million in 2013, and the Chairman Emeritus received nearly $7 million each year in 2012 and 2013.  In contrast only four presidents at public universities earned more than a million dollars.  Harvard’s president earns about $900,000, but some of her benefits boost her salary to about 1.2 million.

These so-called career colleges are actually profit centers.  The disproportionate enrollment of black and brown students means that folks who are already poor and underpaid are creating profits for these publicly traded companies and their overpaid leaders.  At ITT Technical Institute, the overwhelming majority of students (92 percent) were self-identified members of a racial and ethnic group.  Nearly four in five took out a Pell grant.    At DeVry about 45 percent were minority students.   Meanwhile, students who enroll in these colleges and do not graduate (the majority) have nothing to show for their education but more debt.

That’s why the Department of Education is limiting the amount of federal loans that students can take out, pegging loan amounts to ability to pay, based on students’ current salaries and income.  “Attendance at career colleges should be a gateway to the middle class,” said Education Secretary Arne Duncan.  Too often mobility is downward, not upward, when large student loans go unpaid.  The new regulations are imperfect, but a step in the right direction.  They might be more efficient, but the for-profit colleges have lobbied hard, and gone to court, to prevent cautionary regulations.

Students of color who consider these colleges need to make sure they know what they are getting.  Otherwise, they are up for a big surprise when student loans bills come due.  For-profit colleges are exactly that, for profit.  Students are not necessarily being educated, instead being treated as a profit center.

Julianne Malveaux is an author and economist based in Washington, DC.

Nov. 2, 2014

Rinkins Report: Nation’s First Black Billionaire Talks Diversity and Prosperity
By Zach Rinkins

 Zach Rinkins

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Robert L. Johnson is an American success story by any measure. Born in Mississippi and raised in Middle America, Johnson made a name for himself in the nation’s capitol and ascended to the heights of big city capitalism on his own terms.

You may know him as the founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), his reign there ended with retirement in 2005 and ushered him to unprecedented heights of wealth for an African-American.

He is “deeply concerned” about helping more Black Americans build wealth. These days, he is advocating for more economic inclusion for African-Americans.  The Princeton-graduate readily accepts the responsibilities that come with financial independence.

“Because of what I have been able to accomplish businesswise, I have the freedom and credibility to speak out loud about it,” Johnson declared. “I think somebody has to do it or else these issues are not going to be raised or addressed.”

Johnson conversed with the Rinkins Report about his thoughts on corporate diversity and shared insights on how minorities can build wealth.

RR: America is becoming an increasingly diverse country that is competing in a global economy. How does this cultural reality impact businesses?

RJ: Well, diversity is a fact of life that every company should recognize. This country cannot compete economically if we do not embrace diversity and inclusion.  African-Americans represent 32 million people in the US population. Hispanics are easing ahead of us in terms of total numbers and way ahead of us in the projected birth rate. So, if we are going to compete in this country, you must have employees. Where are your employees going to come from in the future? Where are your customers going to come from? They are going to come from the African-American and Hispanic communities, for the most part. So, diversity and inclusion remains facts of life and are necessary for business success.

RR: What are the benefits of inclusion?

RJ: Everyone benefits from inclusion. If people are excluded and kept out of the workforce, you will have more people who become a burden on society and taxpayers. Instead of spending billions of dollars subsidizing people who are unproductive, we should use those resources for investment in a strong, educated workforce.  So, it’s one of those kinds of things, you either pay me now or pay me later. A stronger, more educated workforce gives more people an opportunity to contribute to the economic growth of the nation and therefore benefits everybody.

RR: You also have some thoughts and proposals about how the government classifies minority-owned businesses?

RJ: Right now an African-American has to own 51-percent of a business in order for it to be classified as a minority-owned business and get government set-asides. The 51-percent rule is the most perverse rule that’s even been enacted against the accumulation of African American capital. Conversely, a white guy can go out and start a small business and say, “I only got 9-percent” and nobody asks him whether or not he has the other 41-or-42-percent to be in business. With African-Americans, we have got to prove that we have 51 percent of the company.  This is almost impossible because on average white Americans have ten times—and in some cases—twenty times the wealth of African Americans .I am proposing that governments give minority-owned status to firms that have at least 10-percent minority ownership.

RR: As America’s first Black billionaire, it’s fair to say you know a few things about financial success. How can people with average incomes build wealth?

RJ: I encourage everyone to save more and eliminate all unnecessary spending. Don’t buy
things you don’t really need just because you think that’s the way to be hip, cool or be with the “in” crowd.

The real thing is saving and investing in your future and saving for your kids’ future. You don’t have to have a lot of money to start with. Just put aside a $100, $50 or even $10 a week and invest it. It will grow. Also, build funds for emergencies and avoid payday lenders. Log on to RLJCompanies.com for more information.

Zach Rinkins is the Associated Press award-winning host/producer of the Rinkins Report. For more info  log on to www.RinkinsReport.com or on Twitter @RinkinsReport and Facebook @RinkinsReport

Nov. 2, 2014

Justice for Native Americans
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - There was a time when Black people were bombarded with offensive names that others knew were offensive, but use of the words continued.  There’re some who still use those names even when talking about the President of the United States!  I viewed the Super Bowl ad that was intended to show that not all Indians think the word “Redskins” is offensive.  I was reminded how racists always find a Black person who’ll dispute the offensiveness of some of the terms used against us. That doesn’t change how the vast majority of us see it.

All of our lives we’ve had to deal with racism against ourselves; but the problem is much bigger than racism against Black people. A case in point is the racism in sports and media regarding not only us, but against our Native American brothers and sisters.

The late Solomon Burke had a song called “None of Us Are Free Until All of Us Are Free”— a gentle reminder that racism hurts all of us and that we’re so much stronger when we work together to end it. For that reason, I travelled to Minnesota when the Washington football team played the Minnesota Vikings.  I learned that Native women were playing a lead role in the protest to change the name of the Redskins.  I went out of a need to stand with these women, and their families, in their plea for justice.  I felt that being there was a way to share the pain of injustice and to say there are Black people who understand and want to be a part of making the change needed to bring about justice not just for ourselves, but for all people.

Black people and Native Americans have a common past of separation from our lands, distortion of our histories and of having to fight a continuing battle against being caricatured into insignificance.  Black and Native elders must work to clarify the truth of our histories so that slavery and the brutalities inflicted upon our Native brothers and sisters and us are not the sole legacies left for us to know. The gory, bloodying of the head of butchered Native Americans and their bloody scalps, called “redskins,” shouldn't be used as a source of celebration for a modern sports team.

A game where Minnesota Vikings play Washington seemed to be the perfect time to support the name change to one that is just and decent.  Dan Snyder may not think the name is offensive, but the history of the name and the brutality it represents are indisputable. Now that we know the depth of the offense, we must accept the name change as the correct course of action -- because when we know better, we’re charged with doing better.

The insult and denigration are clear!  Despite complaints about removing the name from the team, it’s time to change the name!  We, Black Americans, should be helping our Native brothers and sisters in leading the charge.  The lynching of Black people and extermination of Native people are shameful parts of America’s past history and should not be perpetuated by celebration.

Many Black people have differing amounts of Indian blood. My mother has Choctaw and Cherokee blood—tribes that were forcefully removed from the Deep South where I grew up. That means I have ancestors twice removed from their places of birth, so I take any insults of Indians personally just as I do denigration of my Black ancestry.

No team's mascot should be offensive, but a team based in our nation’s capital should celebrate our unique diversity instead of our brutal past.  Let’s not give up the fight until we get a respectful name for our football team in Washington, DC.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is National President of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc. www.nationalcongressbw.org.)

Oct. 28, 2014

Ben Chavis PHOTO: Roy Lewis/Trice Edney News Wire

Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes says the Black Press has always led the way on key African-American issues.

PHOTO: Roy Lewis/Trice Edney News Wire

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – Civil rights leader Benjamin Chavis, now president of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, says he envisions Black newspapers as becoming the “new mainstream” rather than an alternative press as it is often called.

“The Black Press, I believe has an opportunity where it can make even more traction than it has in the past,” Chavis said in an interview with the Trice Edney News Wire. “In other words, I don’t see the Black press as a side press from the mainstream press. I want the Black press to become the new mainstream because the demographics are changing.”

Chavis was among the speakers at a gala celebration for the 50^th Anniversary of the Washington Informer Newspaper, published by NNPA member Denise Rolark Barnes. Black-owned newspapers are often called specialty, alternative or minority press by government agencies and corporate America.

But, according to an analysis of U. S. Census Bureau population stats, people of color, including African-Americans, will gradually increase to become a clear majority of America’s population over the next four decades.

“All in all, minorities, now 37 percent of the U.S. population, are projected to comprise 57 percent of the population in 2060,” according to a U. S. Census report. “The total minority population would more than double, from 116.2 million to 241.3 million over the period.”

During that period, “the black population is expected to increase from 41.2 million to 61.8 million” as the White population will peak in 2024 - 10 years from now - and then gradually decrease by 20.6 million by 2060, the Census reports.

Chavis sees this increase as a prospective boon for NNPA’s more than 200 Black-owned newspapers as it anticipates its 75^th anniversary next year - but only if certain strategies are put in place.

First, the Black press must focus on a stronger economic foundation by generating more revenue. African-Americans spend $1.2 trillion dollars a year, he said, noting that Black newspapers must partner with the Black Church, Black banks, Black colleges and Black organizations to network and support the Black press.

This strategy would require much unity, Chavis says. “This is beyond connecting the dots. The dots have to converge…There’s too much disunity in our community. And I’m not just talking about organizational disunity. I’m talking about disunity even among the so-called personalities…In my long career in civil rights I’ve seen what happens when leadership goes in divergent paths…To me, it’s a disservice to our community to allow personality conflicts to get in the way.”

Secondly, White-owned businesses must be made to understand the value of supporting Black newspapers as businesses and as a sustainable institution, the same as the broadcast media, Chavis says.

“To reach people in our community. They can’t just look at something on TV or hear it on the radio and act. They’ve got to look at it and read it more than once. That’s the value of the Black print press,” he said. “The pen has to have an economic undergirding so that what is written gets distributed; so that what is written gets circulated. Sometimes we overlook the necessity to the strong economic foundation in our quest for freedom, justice and equality.”

Finally, Chavis said, Black newspapers must take full advantage of the digital universe.

“Technology, particularly digital technology can be a great equalizer. Some people think the digital will supplant the print. I don’t. To me, the digital will make more valuable the print press because every day it’s about the content. We have the content, but we have not aggregated the content,” he said.

Denise Rolark Barnes, who has been publisher of the Informer for 20 years, succeeded her now late father, Dr. Calvin Rolark, a prominent D.C. businessman and Black leader. Barnes recalls how the Black press has led America’s media when it comes to many of the issues that have now emerged as headline news for White-owned media, such as police brutality, economic justice and voting rights.

“The more you do it, the more stories you realize need to be told; the more you realize that our community, our Black history every day is being thrown away,” says Barnes, in an exhibit hall showing historic front pages and photos from the Informer. “I’ve learned that history does repeat itself and is repeating itself.”

Hundreds of people packed into the Carnegie Library in Downtown Washington, DC to salute the Informer and its legacy.

Iconic radio talk show host Joe Madison recalled how the Black press has been so audience-specific that readers know that those who advertise in Black newspapers specifically want to reach Black people. “It means it’s for us,” Madison said.

Madison also underscored Black newspapers as a chronicler of Black history. “Most of us would not have known about Emmett Till had it not been for the Black Press. Most of us wouldn’t have known, quite honestly about Martin Luther King Jr. if it wasn’t for the Black Press because White media certainly wasn’t publicizing it…The Black Press is, as Frederick Douglass would probably say, our North Star.”

Ben Chavis is one who has benefited tremendously from the Black press. He is one of the historic Wilmington 10, who was pardoned by North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue two years ago in a 1971 firebombing amidst the civil rights struggle. The pardon finally came after the Wilmington Journal of North Carolina, published by Mary Alice Thatch, escalated the campaign for justice.

Concludes Chavis, “It is in the business of not only reporting the news, but defending the news when it comes to the interest of Black people. That’s what gives the Black press its unique value, not only to Black America, but to the rest of America.”