Did you know that black high school students are more likely to have their homework checked than their peers from other groups? Or that black players make up about two-thirds of players in the NFL but get hit with more than 90 percent of unsportsmanlike penalties?
Black Stats, a new book by Oakland-based academic, author, and activist Monique Morris, explores that data and much more about black American life from education to the entertainment industry to the justice system. “There’s a lot of information that floats in the public domain about black America,” says Morris, and a lot of damaging numbers get tossed around without context. She hopes her book can debunk persistent myths and reset misleading narratives, explaining, for instance, that black overrepresentation in jails doesn’t mean the majority of the incarcerated population is black. She also explores areas that aren’t usually talked about and she says could use a lot more research, like sexual identity and the rising rate of acceptance of gays in the black community.
Morris talks about some of the surprising and lesser-known numbers she came across in her work, and you can see more in the charts below the video:
Data sources: “The Myth of the Welfare Queen,” “More College Graduates Than Ever,” “Getting That Diploma,” “Let Me See Your Homework,” “Pitching In,” NFL player penalties.
