Work, school, love—there are lots of reasons why people relocate. But if you are—or love—a Black man living in America, you might want to consider what your current city is doing to help you excel. The Campaign for Black Male Achievement (CMBA) released a report today (December 3) that scores U.S. cities on what they are doing to support the achievement of Black boys and men. Detroit, Oakland and Washington, DC sit atop the list.
“The Promise of Place: Cities Advancing Black Male Achievement” examines publically available data for 50 small, midsize and large cities that are home to 5.5 million Black men and boys (30+ percent of the population) and assesses each locale in five areas:
Demographic Mix: Demographics around race and gender (10 points)
City-led Commitment: City’s dedication to support and address individual and systemic challenges facing this population (30 points)
CBMA Membership: Number of local organizations and leaders who belong to CBMA’s national network (20 points)
National Initiatives: Local presence of leading national programs, initiatives and organizations that support this demographic (20 points)
Targeted Funding: Amount of targeted philanthropic funding that supports local organizations that focus on Black men and boys (20 points)
CMBA emphasizes that the report doesn’t determine the best cities for Black men to live, as it doesn’t examine their lived experiences or the actual effectiveness of the initiatives. Detroit, Oakland and DC tied for first place with a score of 95 out of 100. At the bottom of the list, Columbus, Georgia earned a score of just 15. Among cities that have seen racial unrest in 2015, Baltimore scored 78 (denotes a high level of engagement and committed action, according to CMBA), Cleveland rated a 52 (medium) and St. Louis earned a 45 (medium).
“For our cities to prosper, we must improve life outcomes and expand opportunities for America’s Black men and boys,” Shawn Dove the CEO of CMBA said in a press release sent to Colorlines. “While our report finds cities are making progress, we cannot be complacent. We hope the report and index serve as a call to action for all of us to work together to do more for our men and boys.
The report also includes specific recommendations for helping the rest of the nation rise to the task of supporting Black male excellence, including:
- Mobilize a community of Black male achievement stakeholders.
- Sign the My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge.
- Promote participation in groups and initiatives like Concerned Black Men National and The Black Star Project.
- Encourage local philanthropic community to increase funding for efforts targeted at this demo.
Head to CMBA’s site to see how your city fared.