10 Assets of Black People

by BlackPress of America

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE —Black parents support positive social identity and high educational expectations. Black parenting is about transmitting positive messages about children’s cultural background, heritage, and identity and about holding children to high expectations related to their behavior and academic learning.

Adapted from the report. “Being Black Is Not a Risk Factor,” from the National Black Child Development Institute 

1. 79% of Black households have at least one parent who is employed. This is similar to White households (80%) based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey.  

2. More Black children live in a household with a mother with a BA or higher degree (22%) than in one with less than a high school diploma (13%). Further, almost 9% of Black people over the age of 25 have a graduate or professional degree.  

3. Almost 80% of Black families of preschoolers read to their children at least four days a week or tell a story. Early home literacy practices have a positive effect on children’s early language and literacy and later reading achievement and school outcomes.  

4. Black parents support positive social identity and high educational expectations. Black parenting is about transmitting positive messages about children’s cultural background, heritage, and identity, and about holding children to high expectations related to their behavior and academic learning. In line with Afrocentric parenting, Black parents emphasize values in their child-rearing practices such as family interconnectedness, independence, obedience, behaving well, and respecting others. 

5. Three out of four Black children are in formal early care and education by age four and are likely to be in care before the age of one. Unfortunately, being in care does not guarantee that the care is affordable and of high quality, with many Black families encountering difficulties related to the cost of care, meeting the eligibility requirements for child care assistance, and the quality of care.

 6. Black children score high for cognitive skills at nine months old. 

 7. Black children have strong social skills, especially cooperation during play. Socioemotional skills are positively associated with children’s academic achievement. Black children show strong competency in this area, especially as it concerns emotion regulation, attention, and positive coping strategies.  

8. Black children have strong oral narrative and storytelling skills that are part of their cultural roots and supportive of their learning. Oral language and storytelling skills are part of Afrocentric practices, and there is evidence that these skills are related to later reading achievement. Studies show that oral language is a strong skill set of Black children compared to other children and predictive of their early literacy and later school achievement.  

 9. More Black children ages 3–5 are able to read words in a book compared to other children. Data from Boston, Massachusetts, showed that 16% of Black children are able to read words in a book. Furthermore, 38% of Black children in this age group recognize all letters of the alphabet, and 69% can count to 20 or higher.  

10.  Black students’ 4th-grade reading proficiency has increased by 36 points since 1971. 

Link to article: 10 Assets of Black People | BlackPressUSA