This marks the last column in the Afro-American Experience series, which has ran since the beginning of the semester. We hope you got some insight from reading these heartfelt installments, and good luck on your final exams.
Political science major Patrick Barrett said prisons retain more black men than universities do.
“You don’t see too may African-Americans at the graduate level,” he said.
“A lot of people with a criminal record, they’re not entitled to go to school. We’re here on scholarships and grants. Once you’re convicted of a felony, that’s all out the window. Most of them are charged with non-violent drug offenses. It’s mostly petty drug sales, and most people plead out without ever realizing how it’s going to impact their future.”
He said former President Ronald Reagan’s administration gave police departments monetary incentives to go after drug offenders.
“His war on drugs really devastated the black community,” Barrett said.
He said that in 1990, there were 900 college graduates in Wisconsin compared with 18,000 prisoners in the same state that year.
As the president of the Black Student Union, Barrett wants to represent a more real picture of African-Americans.
“Not all black men sag their pants, but we’re honorable, righteous men that take care of our families, who are responsible and work hard,” he said. “And the way I’ve made it through this academic world has been through people like Dr. Jamal Martin, Dr. (Charles) Becknell and Dr.
(Finnie) Coleman. Since we don’t have a large number, black students have to reach out to these guys to help them succeed in this type of environment because they’ve been through what we’re trying to go through. They can give us pointers how to navigate through this system. It’s more like a mentoring.
Daily Lobo: What’s hard about the system?
Patrick Barrett: When they have student elections here and they’re outside passing out fliers, they’ll go to everybody else but they won’t go to you. It’s like, not recognizing your humanity.
DL: ASUNM senator candidates ignore you?
PB: Yeah. I was walking with a friend, and I told her, “Watch, we’re going to go through here and nobody is going to try to approach us or give us a flier or sell themselves.” And nobody approached me. I was like, “See what I mean?” She was like, “Wow.” It’s not in my mind, like I’m making this up. It’s just the reality. You can’t be late for class because all eyes are on you. They don’t want to sit by you in the class. Or make eye contact. Nobody sits next to me. And this kind of stuff: one person, empty seat, myself, empty seat, a person — funny dynamic, huh? And this is like, the whole semester. We don’t bite. Why are you so scared?
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He said a lot of students probably don’t realize they do this. He blames students’ subconscious biases on how the media portrays African-Americans and wishes people would look beyond the superficial media circus and into his soul.
On an end note: “I want to say, for me, it has been a really great opportunity to have worked with some outstanding people here at UNM, and I thank UNM for giving me the opportunity to help me reach my God-given potential, and if you see me around campus, holla atcha boy,” Barrett said. “That’s right. Put some Ebonics in there. Will your editors let you keep that?”
