The Need

 

Nearly every indicator of economic, social, and physical well-being shows that minorities in the United States face disproportionate challenges to success and wellness.  Consider the following:

 

Education: Despite dramatic changes, large gaps remain when minority education attainment and outcomes are compared to white Americans.

• From 2000 to 2013 the dropout rate between racial groups narrowed significantly. However, high school dropout rates among Latinos remain the highest, followed by African-Americans and then Whites (National Center for Education Statistics, 2015).

• 12.4 percent of African-American college graduates between the ages of 22 and 27 were unemployed in 2013, which is more than double the rate of unemployment among all college graduates in the same age range (5.6 percent; J. Jones & Schmitt, 2014).

 

Health: Institutional discrimination creates barriers to health care access. Even when stigmatized groups can access care, cultural racism reduces the quality of care they receive (Williams & Mohammed, 2013).

• Racial and ethnic minorities have worse overall health than that of White Americans. Health disparities may stem from economic determinants, education, geography and neighborhood, environment, lower quality care, inadequate access to care, inability to navigate the system, provider ignorance or bias, and stress (Bahls, 2011).

• Low birth weight, which is related to a number of negative child health outcomes, has been associated with lower socio-economic and ethnic/minority status (Fiscella et al., 2008).

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LAEF's Mission

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The Light & Achievement Educational Foundation (LAEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide support to the local community in the areas of education, leadership development, and health awareness.