As a student who embodies the minority identity, I have first-hand experience with the struggles of trying to pursue a post-secondary education. Due to socioeconomics, Black and Brown children typically reside in lower income communities, according to Statista.

 Within these lower income communities, the public schools are run-down, underfunded, and forgotten. In most places, public school funding is provided by the taxes paid within the community. For areas that house lower income families, this system does not improve the quality of life for the students nor the quality of the schools in the area. Typically, schools that lack funding also lack the personnel and opportunities that are most often found in private institutions that have more than adequate funding. While yes, these schools require tuition, access to the best education is a human right, not a privilege. At least it should be. 

Students who attend private schools are more likely to have some form of exposure to a college or post-secondary educational experience which helps pave their paths for their future to come, according to College Transitons. Students who attend public schools are less likely to attain these same experiences. The lack of exposure to these opportunities leaves these students without an alternative besides the perpetual cycle that ensues.

For students who are interested, they may not get the proper help to understand the steps towards college or some plan after high school. As a former Jefferson Parish Public School student, it was difficult trying to find scholarships to apply for. Much of my college and scholarship search was conducted independently.Many other students may not encounter a counselor that genuinely cares that they get into college. In low-income communities, it’s harder to keep employees that make the difference. The employees that make a difference are the ones that actively seek out to help students. They are usually underpaid and underappreciated, but they are the ones that change lives.

It has been an ongoing conflict within the U.S. for minorities to be provided with the same opportunities as their more fortunate counterparts. The world deserves to know what these great minds are thinking. The Black and brown students deserve access to a better future. As a Black Latina woman, I’ve been very fortunate to be able to actively seek out these opportunities. However, it shouldn’t be up to chance. There’s hope for the Black and brown youth of the world, especially in the city of New Orleans. They deserve more.