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Ciera Moore
Eng 400
Professor Quarles
February 22, 2015
Education and African Americans in Martinsville (Henry County), Virginia
Introduction
Education has been one of the key components of our past and present realm. As many
individuals may be familiar with, there have been many faults concerning education and those
who were allowed to benefit from it. During the U.S. colonial period, black slaves were not
allowed to receive much education. Some were encouraged to learn to read the Bible or learn to
memorize scriptures for religious purposes, but other than this they did not have any other reason
to learn to read or write. As time went on, African Americans continued to have a difficult time
receiving education. The Civil Rights Era is a prime example of African Americans wanting to
benefit from education but not having respectable quality resources that would have contributed
to their success and growth. There were marches, rallies, and protests to grant African Americans
the same opportunity to quality education as whites. As time progressed, more and more of our
youth have failed to take advantage of the hard work and diligence of such great Civil Rights
activists. In present day Martinsville, Virginia we have many young people who are, in my
opinion, eager to receive education but are not fully willing to utilize the resources that are
openly available to them in Martinsville. I believe the reason they are not utilizing these specific
resources is because they do not have any knowledge about them. Therefore, if the youth of
Martinsville, especially African Americans, were more exposed to the academic programs that

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were available to them here then there would be an increase in the number of individuals to
receive degrees from Martinsvilles colleges.
Definition
For research purposes, I focused on young African Americans who ranged from ages
eighteen to twenty-five. Simply put, the reason that Martinsvilles African American youth have
not taken full advantage of our local colleges is because they are not aware of these options. To
prove this theory, I conducted a survey with Ms. Richardsons government class at Martinsville
High School, which was made up of sixteen seniors. Out of those sixteen students, ten were
African American, two identified with two or more races, three were Caucasian, and one was
Hispanic. Below is a graph showing the trend in the students attitudes regarding continuing their
education and doing so in Martinsville.

Chart Title
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0

African American

Caucasian

Mixed/Hispanic

Although all the students in the class were a part of the surveying process, I would like to
pay special attention to the trend in the data for the African American responses. When asked if
they were planning to attend college after high school, seven out of ten students replied, yes.

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However, out of those seven students only three plan to attend the local community college. I
then asked the students did they know about their options for completing a bachelor degree in
Martinsville. Out of the ten African American students that were interviewed, there were only
two that were aware of this opportunity through the New College Institute. I proceeded to give
them a little information about attending the local community college and continuing their
education through the New College Institute, and then asked after receiving a little insight would
they ever consider utilizing this option. Out of those same ten African American students, six
students were highly interested in receiving more information about their local college options.
The responses that I gathered during this exciting interview process clearly defines the issue at
hand. We have so many young African American students who intend on attending college, but
have never been given all of their options for continuing their education here in their own
community.

Analysis of Stakeholders
There are numerous stakeholders of this issue. First, Martinsvilles colleges are at stake
because they are losing potential students to outside colleges, which means they could be losing
funding for lack of enrollments. Second, the African American youth and their parents could be
suffering. If room, board and other various fees are considered, many parents and students are
going into unnecessary debt to pay for the completion of a degree. The students and parents may
also be missing out on emotional connections by sending their child away. Lastly, the
Martinsville (Henry County) community as a whole is the greatest stakeholder. We have a
shortage of African Americans in the professional workforce and this trend will only increase
unless we can appeal to those students to utilize their local resources.

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I interviewed two individuals that currently live in Martinsville, and have their views
about their local education options. One of the individuals is female, age twenty-one; the other is
male, age twenty. I composed a list of interview questions. They are as follows: what were your
original goals after graduating high school; did your family have influence over your decision;
what college did you choose and why; how many years have you completed so far; before and
after making your college decision, were you aware of Patrick Henry Community College,
American National University, and the New College; and where are you currently employed.
The female stated the following, My original plans were to go away to a four year
college and stay out of Martinsville. However, I felt pressured to go away; like I could not take
advantage of the alternative options that was available in Martinsville. I went to Lynchburg
College because it was close to home, but far away at the same time. I had several family
members to attend prior and the college also had a liberal arts program. I completed my entire
freshman year and the first semester of my sophomore year. I didnt complete my bachelor in
psychology because I was stressed. After working and being involved in campus organizations, it
was too much. I was aware of all of my options here in Martinsville prior to attending
Lynchburg. Now that I am home, I plan to attend Patrick Henry Community College over the
summer and then transfer to a different liberal arts college in Virginia. I would not be willing to
come back to Martinsville to complete masters programs because I like the idea of being away
from home in a bigger city. I am currently not working but have been applying for clerical work.
I do not feel that not having a degree is holding me back because the education requirements for
the jobs that I am interested in are only high school graduate or equivalent.
The male answered, I chose to attend a two year college and transfer to a four year
school. It was a self-made decision. I chose Patrick Henry Community College for financial

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reasons. I felt it would be cheaper to go there for two years and then finish at a four year school.
I am about to complete my second year and will graduate this May with an Associates Degree in
business. I knew about PHCC, of course, and all of the other programs available here in
Martinsville. I still want to transfer and go away from Martinsville. I also would not come back
to complete a master program because I like the idea of being away from home. I currently work
at Food Lion. Before working at Food Lion, I only applied to fast food places and grocery stores.
I have never attempted to apply for a job in my career field.
History of the Issue
Slavery of African Americans here in America lasted from about 1620 to 1865. During
those two hundred and forty-five years, many African Americans were illiterate due to it being
illegal to teach a slave to read and write. If it were found that a slave could read or write, then
that slave would be severely punished. Those slaves that could read or write, but went under the
radar, had no institutions available to them where they could apply their skills and have the
opportunity to expand their knowledge. At this time, African Americans were treated as property
and were viewed by society as inferior. Those former slaves were still viewed as inferior, but
they were at least able to attend black only schools. These views were extremely altered during
the Civil Rights Movement which lasted from 1954 to 1968. Famous civil rights activist such as
Martin Luther King Jr. and Linda Brown fought for African Americans rights to attend school
with whites so that they could receive quality education as well.
Focusing on the decline of young African American enrollment into Martinsvilles
colleges, the decline stems from quite a few reasons. Due to the boom of the textile era which
lasted from about 1909- 2003, there was really no need for anyone to be interested in furthering
their education. An individual could graduate high school one day and have a job at one of the

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several textile companies the next day. Once these companies closed, there was indeed a dire
need for adults to further their education and many programs were initiated for them to do so.
However, with the decline of the job market in Martinsville, the African American youth have
chosen to move away from the city and pursue their education and obtain jobs.
In todays society, and especially in Martinsville, a bachelors degree is the minimum
requirement to obtain a job that pays a wage that will allow individuals to stay a little above the
poverty level. In the past, African Americans have excelled with careers in sports, film, music,
and entertainment. However, these routes are becoming too common and not promising. Our
African American youth must be encouraged to choose practical goals. Those goals are only
promised to be reached with the aid of education.
Possible Responses
I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the college advisors from Magna Vista High
School, another high school within Martinsville (Henry County). Although there are no specific
strategies in place to target only African Americans at this specific school, she states there are
numerous programs in place they can take advantage of. Magna Vista High school holds several
events annually that students and their parents can attend. Typically in September, they hold a
senior student and parent information night. This event outlines the admission process in its
entirety and gives the parents and students information on what to expect and to complete within
the upcoming months. A college fair is also held city and county wide, which is accessible to all
three of the high schools within the area. Admission counselors from across Virginia and other
neighboring states come and discuss the college application process, financial aid opportunities,
and they also hold drawings for $500 scholarships. They also have individual financial aid and
scholarship information nights. Along with the events that are held annually, she has an open

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door policy. She has made herself available to meet with the students on an individual basis to
answer questions pertaining to the college admission process. She will also help them register for
the SAT or ACT, help with college applications, edit their personal statements, assist them with
the FAFSA, and post about scholarship opportunities. For the high school students, I found that
the information needed is readily available to them and their parents as well. The problem is
getting the students and their parents to take an active role in attending the events and requesting
individual based information.
The issue of young African Americans utilizing our local colleges to obtain degrees, is an
issue that Ive become adamant about. Since starting my research, I have joined my local chapter
of the NAACP. Although I have yet to attend my first meeting, it is in my plans to discuss with
the chapters advisors about potentially holding workshops specifically for our local African
American youth. I would like to have representatives from Patrick Henry Community College,
American National University, and the New College Institute to come to the workshops and
promote their school and programs. They would also be asked to give information detailing the
admissions process and their financial aid packages. Since getting the students and their parents
to attend these informational sessions has been proven to be difficult, I would ask that the
NAACP award scholarships to those who attend the session and enroll in a college in
Martinsville. The city and county high schools both already exercise this practice. However, if
the NAACP were to take the initiative and do this independently, those individuals who are not
currently in high school would have the opportunity to gain information also. I feel that as a
community, we would see a greater increase in the enrollment of our young African Americans
within our local colleges.
Conclusion

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To conclude, I feel as if most African Americans have buried the turmoil that our
ancestors endured to get us where we are today in education. In Martinsville specifically, the
institutions that have been provided for us have been extremely underused. As a city, we must
encourage our youth to use the resources that we have all helped to build. Money, time, and
effort has been wastefully spent towards the fundamental academic resources that we have here
in Martinsville. Granted, a large portion of our youth are striving to make a difference. But those
differences they are trying to make elsewhere. The difference must be started at home first. I
strongly believe that with the right attitudes and many willing souls that we can foster our young
African American students by having them utilize the resources available to them in their
hometown, Martinsville, VA.

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Works Cited
African Americans and Education. NAACP. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.
Anonymous. "College Adviser Interview." E-mail interview. 21 Feb. 2015.
Go to College? Get a Job? How Young African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and
Whites Make Decisions About What to Do After. Public Agenda. 9 Feb, 2005. Web. 22
Feb. 2015. < http://www.publicagenda.org/press-releases/go-college-get-job-how-youngafrican-americans-hispanics-asian-americans-and-whites-make-decisions-about-what-do>.
OVERGRAD. Patrick Henry Community College. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.
<https://www.overgrad.com/universities/1811-patrick-henry-college.>.
State and County QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Web. 22 Feb. 2015
<http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/51/51690.html.>.
Waller, Derrick, and Quaneisha Millner. "African American Youth Interviews." Personal
interview. 20 Feb. 2015.
Ms. Richardsons government class, Senior Interviews. Martinsville High School .5 March 2015.