While too many of us were concentrating on an NBA player’s sexuality despite the fact that most of the population had never heard of him, some much bigger news was transpiring.
“Four Morehouse athletes were arrested in connection with sexual assaults,” was the headline of the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s website.
Heartbreaking on so many levels, for the women who are victims, for the accused young men who at a young age have pretty much destroyed their lives, and for Morehouse College, a school that’s spent the last few years trying to restore its reputation.
Like most colleges, Morehouse has a zero tolerance policy to violence.
Morehouse is in the spotlight now, but it’s not alone. The rise of sexual assaults on college campuses is something every parent sending their child, male and female, should be aware of.
In HBCUs as well as mainstream colleges and universities, most of these incidents involve drugs and alcohol. We’re not talking beer and weed…the kind of stuff that might have been at parties when you or your parents were in school. It’s gone up to a new level, and today’s parents need to be on top of it.
High school graduations are coming up and families with college-bound kids probably have a long to-do list…clothes, dorm room supplies, even new cars for some. But even if you had the talk about sex and drugs (and you should have) with your kids already, it’s time to put it on the top of the list before they leave for college.
Your sons need to read this story and realize that right now they probably can say for sure they’d never sexually assault a woman, but in the wrong environment with the wrong crowd, with the wrong drugs and alcohol, they’re capable of anything. One night of “partying” can bring consequences that will last a lifetime.
Your daughters should read the article too and be warned not to take any drugs or drink alcohol, especially at parties and clubs. They should always attend functions with trusted friends and never be afraid to report a physical assault of any kind.
Reading, Writing and Rape? Sexual Assaults on Campuses Must End was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
