This past weekend my nephew graduated from George Washington University. It was a wonderful day walking down the National Mall – a very proud occasion for his mother, our entire family and, of course, for him. I was immersed in the optimism of the moment. It left me with such a positive sense of energy and hope – all that one might expect from the excitement of a college graduation except…

I also couldn’t help thinking about all the young black boys out there that, either through their circumstances, decisions or actions chose not to aspire to participate in higher education and the opportunities it affords.

What can, should and must we do to ensure more black boys have an opportunity to ‘walk the mall’ of their own choosing?

We can start with our expectations of our students. As a society we cannot settle for the status quo. Family, teachers, educators and other supports in our students’ lives need to set high expectations early in life for our young boys – something for them to aspire to.

There also needs to be a shift in perspective by demanding that more of our black boys get the experience and opportunities that higher education offers – by allowing our young boys to grow up and experience their own immersion in the optimism of positive energy and hope.