The Educational Attainment of Black Americans and Gender, 2012 and 2022: Resilience, Factors, Implications and Recommendations

Utilizing the concept of resilience, this paper examines the attainment of bachelor’s degrees or higher by Black Americans in 2012 and 2022. In 2012, 3.668 million Black Americans aged 18 and over had at least a bachelor’s degree, with women accounting for 58.5% and men accounting for 41.5 percent. In 2022, that figure increased to 5.547 million (57.3% for women and 42.7% for men). Among the factors presented for this achievement are: paying for their own education, grants and loans, and athletic scholarships. Among the factors presented for more Black women with bachelor’s degrees or higher are: 2.811 million more of them aged 18 and over than their male counterparts, more Black males in the United States military where they enlist as teenagers, and more Black males drop out of school. Some of the implications presented because of the 5.547 million Black Americans aged 18 and over with at least a bachelor’s degree are: an increase in the net worth of the Black population from $2.58 trillion on December 31, 2000 to $5.05 trillion on December 31, 2023; an increase in the number of Black millionaires and billionaires, with 1.79 million Black millionaires in 2022; and an increase in the overall number of Blacks in the United States Congress, the election of Barack Obama as president, and Kamala Harris as vice president of the United States. A major recommendation presented in the paper is that the Black American population must establish a $500 billion Black World Development Initiative – a Belt and Road initiative for the Black World.