On education

While African-Americans are catching up to their white counterparts in terms of college enrollment, there has been less progress in closing the degree attainment gap.

According to data released by US Department of Education, 23 percent of African Americans 25 to 29-year olds held a bachelor's degree or higher in 2018, up 5 percentage points from 18 percent in 2000.

By comparison, degree attainment for white aged 25 to 29 increased from 34 percent to 44 percent during the same time period.

In 2018, about 33 percent of African-American adults aged 25 to 29 had at least a two-year college degree, an increase from 26 percent in 2000. Among white adults, this level of degree attainment grew from 44 percent in 2000 to 54 percent in 2018.

African-American children, on average, score lower on tests and are given lower grades than Asian, White and Latino students. In adolescence, many of them fail courses and drop out of school, according to an article published in Young Children by the National Association for the Education of Young Children in the US.