IN HR0034

Designates February 29, 2016, as Young Black Males Legislative Day in Indiana, marking the second annual observance following the first event on March 31, 2015, when 250 students gathered at the Statehouse.

Documents that Black males are incarcerated at six times the rate of white males, comprising 33 percent of Indiana Department of Correction inmates in 2015 despite representing only 9.5 percent of the state population.

Highlights that 27 percent of Black male students experienced out-of-school suspensions in Indiana in 2015 (second highest nationally), with Marion County schools suspending over 60 percent of students at various schools, often for attendance reasons.

Notes the high school graduation rate for African-American males is 38 percent compared to 70 percent for white males in Indiana.

Recognizes that young African-American males face cycles of poverty and low expectations, calling for investment in their future and prioritization of addressing these disparities at all levels of government.