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PaulAkereFirstEssay 7 - 23 May 2025 - Main.PaulAkere
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Reimagining Equality | |
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< | -- By PaulAkere - 19 Feb 2025 | >
> | -- By PaulAkere - 22 May 2025 | | | Now that we have recognized that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”) was not built to last, the next question is how to build a version that will. It is time to reimagine how we will acquire equality; the many attempts at equity have been met by an overbearing opposition. The question may demand more than one thousand words, but I have the beginning constructs of an answer — a concerted effort to rebuild our primary schools. I recognize that this has been attempted throughout the years, but I am proposing a new driving source. A force that has garnered widespread support and captured the hearts of Americans. One that feels much more attainable than becoming the next Black president. | |
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< | More on What We're Up Against | >
> | More on What We're Up Against | | | Unfortunately, the loneliness that I felt as an undergraduate and now as a law student is ubiquitous among Black men. Black male graduation rates lag behind those of our peers (UNCF, 2021). Our experience in higher education is made more difficult by the proliferating isolation. Spaces that have historically welcomed this demographic are seeing downturns in enrollment. Howard University is a striking example, Black males now make up only 19% of the campus (Doe, 2025). But it is not just Howard; Black male enrollment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) is down to 26% from a near 40% mark in 1976 (Windsor, 2024).
This decrease poses grave consequences for any attempt at bridging economic inequality. Economists have found that the income gap between White and Black America is driven entirely by the difference between men’s economic circumstances (Chetty, 2018). Any vision of equality for African Americans has to address the economic outcomes of Black males. | | |
Luckily, we have found success in a field that has proven to be integral to the social fabric, American sports. In NCAA v. Alston, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) restriction on education-related benefits for its athletes violated the Sherman Act. NCAA v. Alston, 594 U.S., 141 S.Ct. 2141 (2021). This decision created a pathway for colleges to offer a wider array of educational support to student athletes, like graduate school scholarships, paid internships, and other general educational resources. More importantly, it created a lane for novel and legal forms of payment to student-athletes. | |
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< | In July of 2021, the NCAA issued guidance to allow student athletes to receive compensation for their name, image, and likeness (NIL). The athletes now partner with businesses to market their likeness through partnerships and sponsorships. Since issuance, the market has bubbled and is estimated to be worth $1.67 billion. This number should not come as a surprise. The revenue-generating sports in the NCAA bring in billions of dollars annually, and the NCAA brings in over $4 billion annually (NCAA, 2021). Black men make up 55% of all NCAA football players and 56% of all NCAA basketball players (Inside Higher Ed., 2018). These billion-dollar industries are built on the labor of Black men. For decades, these billion-dollar industries have perpetuated existing economic inequality. Recent changes in legislation have created an opportunity for athletes to direct what economies they will revitalize. | >
> | In July of 2021, the NCAA issued guidance to allow student athletes to receive compensation for their name, image, and likeness (NIL). The athletes now partner with businesses to market their likeness through partnerships and sponsorships. Since issuance, the market has bubbled and is estimated to be worth $1.67 billion (Opendorse). This number should not come as a surprise. The revenue-generating sports in the NCAA bring in billions of dollars annually, and the NCAA brings in over $4 billion annually (NCAA, 2021). Black men make up 55% of all NCAA football players and 56% of all NCAA basketball players (Inside Higher Ed., 2018). These billion-dollar industries are built on the labor of Black men. For decades, these billion-dollar industries have perpetuated existing economic inequality. Recent changes in legislation have created an opportunity for athletes to direct what economies they will revitalize. | | |
Where to Next | | | NCAA, Division I Manual 209 (2021), https://web3.ncaa.org/lsdbi/reports/getReport/90008 [https://perma.cc/X3PS-K2JQ]; see id. at 206–07 | |
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> | Opendorse. (2025). NIL at 3: The Annual Opendorse Report. CalMatters? . https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/The_Annual_Opendorse_Report_-Version-2.pdf | | | UNCF. (2018, November 29). African Americans and college education by the numbers. Retrieved from https://uncf.org/the-latest/african-americans-and-college-education-by-the-numbers
Welbourne, B. (2024, March 20). UA’s impact on state economy approached record despite pandemic. University of Alabama News Center. https://news.ua.edu/2024/03/uas-impact-on-state-economy-approached-record-despite-pandemic/ |
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