In our quest for empowerment, REACH is committed to spreading awareness about local issues and actively engaging students to advocate resolve. I would like to take this time to speak on an age-old issue that continues to grow. The black-white income gap is a pervasive societal issue that I have always held close to my heart. In 1967, with the end of the Civil Rights movement, African Americans were finally beginning to realize the American dream of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Many people assert that racial inequality disappeared with the advent of the 1970s, however the numbers show otherwise. Despite the birth of civil rights, there remained a noticeable gap of almost $20,000 between the mean household incomes of blacks and whites (Wolfe, 2011). Unfortunately, this income gap is showing no signs of decline. Data from a 2011 study done by Sean F. Reardon of Stanford University suggests that  “The [income] achievement gap between children from high- and low-income families is roughly 30 to 40 percent larger among children born in 2001 than among those born twenty-five years earlier” (Reardon, 2011).

Experts have long strived to prove a causal relationship to explain the black-white income gap. Of these theories, one stood out to me in particular. In 2003, Roland G. Fryer Jr. proposed a theory detailing the implications of “acting white.” I feel that this theory brings to light some interesting societal issues that are pertinent to the goals of REACH.

Fryer’s theory essentially states that black youth are often underperforming in school as a direct result of societal pressure. Applying oneself in academics may be seen as an attempt to “act white”, soliciting ridicule from one’s peers, in turn severely decreasing the incentive for African American children to  genuinely utilize their educational opportunities. The resulting educational gap may in turn account for the income inequality between blacks and whites.

This theory of “acting white” directly corresponds with REACH’s goal of empowerment. By being deprived of their education, minorities will never be able to fully apply their passions to make a difference in the world. Issues like this are exactly why REACH is making such an earnest attempt to spread the message of empowerment. By empowering minorities, we can break stereotypes and maybe even facilitate long term change. Through our actions, we can inspire the change necessary to maybe one day break this vicious cycle of wasted potential. This is my passion.

About Our Blogger

Matthew Guan is a first year at the University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill and is currently serving as a research associate for the UNC Chapter of REACH. Matthew is from Cary, North Carolina and graduated from Green Hope High School in 2011. His passion for education stems from his involvement in Educational Aid for Refugees, a nonprofit organization that provides school supplies to the refugees of the Sri Lankan Civil War. When not helping to advance the goals of REACH, Matthew enjoys playing (Halo) Reach, reading The Onion and going to the gym. Matthew is currently planning on pursuing a business major in preparation for professional school

Further Reading:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21759075/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/t/income-gap-between-black-white-families-grows/#.Twk7iG9rN0Q

http://www.jbhe.com/news_views/55_closing_the_income_gap.html

Works Cited

Fryer, Roland G., and David A. Smith. The Economics of Acting White. Aug. 2003. Web. 2012. <stiglerlawoffice.com/public/as_fryer729.pdf>.

Reardon, Sean F. “The Widening Academic Achievement Gap between the Rich and the Poor: New Evidence and Possible Explanations.” Whither Opportunity? Rising Inequality, Schools, and Children’s Life Chances (2011). Print.

Williams, Rodger. “Understanding the Black-White Earnings Gap.” The American Prospect. The American Prospect Inc., 19 Sept. 2008. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. <http://prospect.org/article/understanding-black-white-earnings-gap>.

Wolfe, Adam. Economic Racism: A Look at the Black-White Income Gap, 1967-2001. Boise State University. Web. 19 Jan. 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/user/DavidSoComedy?blend=2&ob=0

http://www.youtube.com/user/DavidSoMusic?blend=2&ob=0

It was a great pleasure to befriend David and we hope that we will have the opportunity to work with him again in the near future.

As we kick off the new year, I wanted to remind everybody that our efforts do, in fact, create a global impact. Whether at Guangxi, An Giang, or Binh Phouc, the site of our latest project this year, we affect not only the lives of students themselves, but also the well-being of their families and communities.

It is not enough for us to simply say we’re making a difference, though. A successful philanthropic operation requires transparency, so that an informed onlooker can understand who the charity affects, or how operations work, or what challenges the organization faces. UNC’s research team demonstrated strong commitment to this value earlier this year during the selection phase, and their work led us to chose Binh Phouc province for our school because of its growing industrialization and subsequent demand for primary education.

Sunflower Mission itself is also dedicated to transparency, and to show this, they have volunteered to answer any questions you may have about the organization or their operations overseas building and maintaining schools.

How do you participate? Simple — just post an informed question in a comment reply to this entry here and we will publish answers on a biweekly basis to you!

A few common questions we’ve gotten:
1. How long has Sunflower been in operation?
2. What percentage of Sunflower’s revenues goes toward charitable ends?
3. How much has Sunflower raised thus far toward their goals?

Of course, Sunflower’s website gives us the answer to these questions: 2002, 97%, and $1.7 million, respectively.

Yet there are many other questions that are beyond the scope of their website. For example, what are some or the challenges working with local organizations to build schools? Or — what kind of opportunities are present to those who have earned a primary education versus those who do not?

We look forward to hearing and answering your questions!

Thank you all so much for sharing your passions with us and embodying change through them!

UNC Asian Students Association is thrilled to present this year’s Journey Into Asia this Saturday, November 5 at 7PM in Memorial Hall!

JIA is UNC ASA’s annual showcase of exciting and dynamic talent pertaining to Asian culture. This year, with the theme being “Embrace,” we want to inspire everyone to truly take pride in their cultural heritage, be it Asian or not! Check out our awesome promo video HERE if you haven’t already seen it!

We will be pitsitting all this week on UNC’s campus selling tickets in person, but tickets can also be purchased online at http://memorialhall.unc.edu/ or at the Memorial Hall Box Office in person.

PRICES:
$8 in advance
$10 at the door

We STRONGLY recommend you buy your tickets in advance to avoid long lines on the night of & the possibility of not getting a ticket at all if we sell out. And don’t forget about our JIA Afterparty at Pulse Nightclub from 10PM-2AM right after the show! As always, a portion of the proceeds from the night will be donated to R.E.A.C.H., so we hope you all will join us for our biggest night yet in support of this cause!

- Angela Ju, UNC ASA President

Also huge thanks to Angela Ju, Justin Huang and Michael Cherry for their wonderful contributions and sharing their experiences.

THIS is what REACH is all about. I am so in love with this movement – and the best is yet to come!

But even if you didn’t register you can join us for the afterparty!