Black girls’ zero-sum struggle:
Why we lose when black boys dominate the discourse

There’s been a lot of talk recently about girls surpassing boys in education and boys are either dropping out or falling behind at alarming rate. Many have taken this as an indicator of women’s success and sign that a new era is coming and are now turning their attention to saving the boys. Most recently, President Obama has stepped in and announced his My Brother’s Keeper initiative. Unfortunately, this project ignores the efforts of black girls and black women who have been looking after their own brothers, sons, nephews, grandsons, boyfriends, cousins, and friends for ages. It also ignores the plight of the black women themselves.

Black girls are more likely to experience feelings of sadness and depression, have the lowest net wealth, and more than half are never married. While millions of dollars have been poured into programs that help to mentor young black boys, black girls have seen almost no funding. The article also highlights the immense lack of knowledge we have about the plight of black women. But what do you think we should do to change it?

– Lindsay