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February is observed as Black History Month in the United States.
In keeping with its roots, the observation most often focuses on the achievements of Black Americans from the past, often marked by daily quotations from notable Black leaders from all walks of life and stories about triumphs over the obstacles that our White-dominated society has erected for Black citizens.
But as William Faulkner once wrote, "The past is never dead. It is not even past."
Recent events across our nation remind us that we do not live in a post-racial society despite the markers of change and access that have arisen for Black Americans in parts of our national life. Bias, both explicit and implicit, permeates our social, economic, and justice institutions and systems. Structural racism still confronts Black Americans with obstacles and danger every day.
So we want to mark Black History Month with some information about the history our community is making now for the Black children who could be the leaders celebrated in February 2068.
Just last week, The Charlotte Observer reported that, while the number of suspensions of children in grades K-2 suspended decreased dramatically this past year,
67% of those 48 suspensions were Black, mostly boys. Black students make up less than 40% of CMS students.
According to the most recent data obtained from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, in 2015 Black children were about 32% of the children in Mecklenburg County aged 6 to 15, but
they were 76% of the children who were the subject of complaints in in Juvenile Court. 80% of the males receiving complaints were Black, and 77% of the females were Black.
In 2016, 81.9% of all stays in detention were imposed on Black children. On the other hand, White children are 47% of the general population and only 12% of the complaint population.
Mecklenburg County is not alone:
historically, Black children are eight times more likely that their White peers to be incarcerated for the same offense.
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Over the past couple of weeks, we've been closely following events in Raleigh pertaining to the
K-2 class size mandate passed in 2017. Through our blog and policy alerts, we've shared concerns about the potential consequences for children if the mandate were implemented without adequate funding.
