The University of Kentucky Medical School (“UK”), and Dr. Frederic C. de Beer as its leader, are facing heightened criticism for the medical school's alleged discrimination against current and potential black medical students. When Dr. de Beer was hired by UK’s Medical School, UK’s Provost, Michael Karpf said “it was vital to have a leader who could move the college forward in all forefronts and he felt Dr. de Beer demonstrated that he had the qualities and experience needed to help UK achieve its goals.” Former students and UK alumni have criticized the racism at UK for many years, yet nothing has been done to address their concerns. In fact, numerous requests under the Kentucky Open Records Act have been made for UK to disclose pertinent data to verify the enrollment, retention, and graduate rate for African American students but each request to date, have been denied.

UK continues to deny numerous requests submitted and have justified doing such by arguing the low number of black students would make them identifiable; something they claim is prohibited under federal law. However, I do believe there are ways for UK to produce the requested information without it being considered an invasion of personal privacy, which would give us some comfort level that the school is actually doing what's been reported. Besides, the reason Dr. de Beer was hired by UK was to move the college forward in all forefronts?

In a Lexington Herald Leader article published at the beginning of the year:

(UK spokesman Jay Blanton) told the Lexington Herald-Leader that there were 52 black students enrolled in UK's medical school from 2004 to 2009. Forty-seven of them graduated, which is a 90 percent graduation rate”.

Charles Griffith, associate dean of students at the College of Medicine, said the graduation rate for black medical students has stayed about the same over the past decade. Griffith said black students made up about 3 to 4 percent of incoming medical classes; this past year the percentage was 5.3 percent. That is six students out of a class of 118.

About 7 percent of Kentucky's population is black.

"We're always trying to do better," said Griffith, citing support programs for minority students that include intensive monitoring of student grades and peer tutoring. "Once people get in we want to make sure they succeed."

As a University primarily funded with taxpayers’ money, it’s inconceivable that UK does not want to reveal its minority matriculation and retention data. The number reported by UK's spokesman Jay Blanton are different from the number known by others. The limited data available to the general public regarding minority students is rather alarming and points in the direction of a much bigger and complex problem. Through the limited public records gathered by Dr. Lachin Haterni, it was discovered that 70% of the black medical students paid out-of-state tuition of $53,000 per year, one of the highest tuition rates in the nation. A great majority of the individuals paying this high tuition are either black medical students, recent immigrants from Africa or black international students. To worsen matters, their out-of-state/international status effectively exclude them from receiving any state or federal scholarships.

According to Shambra Mulder, the NAACP Education Chair for the state of Kentucky,

“The University of Kentucky has a reputation of having low admittance of African American students. My statistical analysis of the data published on their website from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, shows that approximately 3% (344 out of 11, 767) of the students enrolled in the UK College of Medicine from 1999 to 2008 were African Americans. I can't find evidence of the graduation/retention rates for African Americans students. We simply want to know if African American students who were admitted into the UK College of Medicine are matriculating and graduating.

It is inconceivable that the school has a graduate rate of 90% for African American given that the graduate rate of African Americans for the entire University is less than 50%. If they had a graduation rate of 90% for African Americans that would be a great marketing tool for the program! We would love to see the data to support this claim. “

For most black students, attending UK is a very expensive proposition. UK has no problem offering black star athletes scholarships and boasting about the number of black athletes who have moved on to the professional ranks but when it comes to admitting medical students and/or producing the documentation to support its recruitment numbers or graduation rate and to dispel any claims of discrimination, UK continues to shy away.

There are a lot of questions being left unanswered by Dr. de Beer, and one would wonder why. The question remains, how many black students were admitted and actually graduated from the University of Kentucky Medical School within the last 4 years? This is a simple question and one according to UK’s chief of Staff, Bill Swinford, is no one's business. One may wonder what is meant by Dr. de Beer’s claims to the local media that UK's Medical School is doing an outstanding job recruiting minority medical students, specifically black students, when UK's Medical School graduates only 1-2 black students per year who are actually Kentucky residents and another 3-4 black students who are from outside of the state of Kentucky.

Isn't it fair for the taxpayers to know how many black students were admitted and actually graduated from the University of Kentucky Medical School? If the numbers are as good as they claim them to be, this would be an excellent recruitment tool.

Daryl K. Washington is an attorney located in Dallas, Texas. His practice includes Sports and Entertainment, Civil Rights, Litigation and Business Transactions. The opinions expressed in the commentary are those of Daryl K. Washington. You can reach Daryl at dwashington@dwashlawfirm.com or you can visit his website at www.dwashlawfirm.com.

I recently read an article about a six year old kid who was involved in an accident while attempting to drive her mother’s car to visit her father. Can you imagine the fear and thoughts running through this young kid’s mind? This little kid was so desperate to see her father that she not only risked her life but the lives of others trying to get to his house. Fortunately, this story did not have a tragic ending. However, there are so many who are not as lucky.

As an attorney, I see couples use their kids to get back at each other FAR TOO OFTEN for something that went wrong in their relationships. You should never do this because the only individuals harmed are the kids. Parents have an obligation to work together for the best interest of their children. The “only reasons” a kid should ever be kept away from his/her parent is due to some documented proof of violence against the kid or allowing visitation would place the kid in an unsafe environment and there is a court order to support those claims. A kid should never be placed in a dangerous situation or environment. Additionally, even if the parent is behind on child support, don’t deny the person an opportunity to spend time with his/her kid(s). Let the child support authorities deal with the person only after you have given the person a chance to do better. One thing I must also point out is that you should not push for your kid’s father or mother to be arrested due to his/her failure to pay child support, especially if the failure to pay is due to some verifiable financial hardship. Locking up a person almost guarantees that he/she will be unable to work, which is not the goal. Furthermore, it only forces a deadbeat parent to pay in order to get released from jail but does not encourage the person to be a good parent which is what’s most important for the kids involved.

There is nothing more upsetting to a kid than not having both parents at a birthday party or major events because their parents can’t get along. Individuals must do better when it comes to co-parenting. Both parents have equal rights and as such each should play an active role in their kids’ lives. Stop running each other away because you can’t get over the past or you believe you have superior rights because you carried the kid. God designed it that way. It was not the other person’s decision or your decision for you to carry your kid during the pregnancy stage so that should not be used as an excuse. We must do better. The kids did not ask to come here. Our kids are suffering due to grown folks fighting. Kids need and require the attention of both parents. You should not depend on a judge to tell you how to raise your kids. Get over the past so that your kids can better deal with the present.

Daryl K. Washington is an attorney located in Dallas, Texas. His practice includes Sports and Entertainment, Civil Rights, Litigation and Business Transactions. You can reach Daryl at dwashington@dwashlawfirm.com or you can visit his website at www.dwashlawfirm.com.

Just recently I had an opportunity to hear one of the many unfortunate stories a new black lawyer shared with me regarding the difficulties of being hired by one of the major law firms. Most people may wonder why it’s such a big deal to work for one of the large law firms. Well, the answer is simple. The pay is great. CNNMoney just published a list of the top ten paying companies in the U.S. Four of the top ten paying companies are law firms. A new associate at the top paying law firm earns $216,000 year. An attorney right out of law school can earn an average of $150,000-$160,000 per year working at a large law firm. Earning this type of money right out of law school allows many to pay off their student loans much faster, not to mention there’s also a stipend provided to associates while studying for the bar exam and to top it off, all bar review courses are paid for. However, what’s sad is that not many Black Attorneys are being hired by the large law firms, in most cases simply because they are black. Additionally, many of the law firms do not see it as a benefit to hire black attorneys because they hire attorneys they feel will one day be able to bring in business to the firm. They also hire attorneys they feel their clients will be comfortable working with. Yes, this mindset exists. I’ll never forget my first year experience right out of law school while working at one of the large law firms. I worked for a firm that represented Oprah Winfrey in her large beef case trial. At that time, we had at least five black attorneys working at the firm yet none of us that I can recall got to work on that case. Dr. Phil served as an expert in that case. We all know what happened to Dr. Phil after that trial. He started appearing regularly as an expert on Oprah’s show and now he has his own show. Wouldn’t it have been nice if the firm would have allowed a couple of black attorneys to work hand in hand with Oprah?

The large law firms once pledged to change their hiring practices but quickly realized that they were still able to get business from the black communities and the other black leaders without hiring black attorneys so they continue to conduct business as usual. We are living in a society where there are more black attorneys being hired as General Counsels, CEO’s of large corporations and elected to political positions of power yet many have reached the top and will not give another black attorney an opportunity because they perceive it to be too risky. There are also black partners who will not reach back and hire black attorneys or better yet, even serve as mentors because of the fear of creating what they perceive to be, their competition. Additionally, there’s still a large segment of black people who will not hire Black attorneys because they still have the mindset that “white is right.” This statement is not meant to be racist but to simply draw attention to how some black people still think. This does not exist in any other race but ours. Latino people hire Latino attorneys. Asian people hire Asian attorneys. Most white people hire white attorneys. I do not see anything wrong with supporting your own race and in fact they should be applauded for hiring people from their communities.

Each year for the past seven years, minority attorneys in the Dallas area have conducted a survey of the hiring practices of the top 20 law firms in Dallas. Each year for the past seven years, the majority (most) of the law firms participating in the survey have received a grade of an “F.” In fact, the majority of the firms did not have a single black attorney working at the firm yet these firms continue to receive millions of dollars from Black individuals, the black communities and corporations that receive billions of dollars from black people.

Sadly but true, the same mindset also exists in the Sports industry as well. Although the majority of the professional football and basketball players are black, the majority of the agents and attorneys who represent them are white. There are black athletes who still believe they are better off being represented by white agents and attorneys but as soon as the system fails them they are the first to use the race card. Over 80% of black athletes are either on drugs, in prison or broke within five years after their careers end. Over 90% of the 80% are represented by agents and attorneys who do not look like them. Will they ever see the correlation? If you look at the agents and attorneys who are representing white athletes you will soon realize that white athletes hire white attorneys and agents. In most cases, a black agent is not even invited into the homes of white athletes. As a result, white agents have the best of both worlds. They sign the majority of black athletes and all of the white athletes.

Simply put, the issues we are currently faced with will not change until we change. There are individuals who have spent three hard years in law school and have performed extremely well only to be faced with the reality of not finding employment. The lucky few who do get hired are normally treated in a manner that makes it difficult for many to survive. I’ve even talked to a number of attorneys who have decided to leave the profession all together because of the numerous disappointments. Because there are very few black partners working at the law firms, most young attorneys are left without mentors and individuals who will have their backs during partner meetings. All of this occurs as a result of the lack of support we give to each other. Each year the number of black students attending law school has decreased. This becomes problematic in many ways. When we lose black attorneys we lose the individuals who will stand up when our voting rights are being attacked. When we lose black attorneys, we lose individuals who will fight for the rights of the first Black Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court. When we lose black attorneys we lose individuals who will fight to preserve the civil rights many died for. If we do not hire US, we can’t get upset when they do not hire US. Anyone who does not believe that black attorneys and agents are qualified, you should think again. We have to start hiring our own if we want others to hire us.

Daryl K. Washington is an attorney located in Dallas, Texas. His practice includes Sports and Entertainment, Litigation and Business Transactions. The opinions expressed in the commentary are those of Daryl K. Washington and not Black Legal Issues. You can reach Daryl at dwashington@dwashlawfirm.com or you can visit his website at www.dwashlawfirm.com.

As we prepare to celebrate the Inauguration of President Obama, I can’t help but think about the state of the Black Community. As we also celebrate Dr. King’s Holiday I do believe we should ask ourselves a series of questions; has the state of Black America significantly improved since the assassination of Dr. King? Should we expect things to be different now that we have a Black President?

When I think about the various things that have transpired within the last twenty years I can no longer hold back and I must answer the questions truthfully; the state of Black America has not gotten any better. In fact, I think it’s gotten worse. As I reflect back on the death of Troy Davis, a man who was executed on September 21, 2012 despite an international outcry over executing a man amid such overwhelming doubt, I can’t help but think whether or not someone from D.C. should have exercised some authority and at least spoke against Mr. Davis’ execution. When Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. was wrongfully arrested at his Cambridge home the White House intervened in the matter and made things right but nothing was done to right the wrong in Atlanta. When the shootings occurred in Newton, Ct., someone from the White House went to Connecticut to comfort the families and spoke during a memorial service yet there have been over 40 homicides in Chicago this month alone and no one has gone to Chicago to comfort the families.

We are living in a country where Black Farmers are losing their land in record numbers because the U.S. Department of Agriculture systematically discriminated against African-American farmers on the basis of race, in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act. We are living in a Country where unemployment remains high for African Americans. We are living in a Country where African American men continue to be wrongfully incarcerated for crimes they did not commit. We are living in a society where African Americans are attending college and graduating in record numbers only to be denied employment because of the discrimination that continues to exist in Corporate America.

For the past seven years, minority attorneys have been conducting diversity surveys of the top 20 law firms and year after year the results have been the same. The law firms are not hiring young black attorneys the way they should because of one reason; the color of their skin yet these law firms continue to get business from large corporations who receive funds from the federal government and people who look like the attorneys who are denied employment. Something needs to be said about this serious injustice. Law firms and corporations will not make a change unless they see a change being made in Washington, D.C. where African Americans are given opportunities to work regardless of whether they graduated from Harvard, Yale, Grambling, Howard, Southern, Hampton, Florida A&M, Jackson St., etc. If Grambling’s band is good enough to perform in two Inaugural parades, a graduate of Grambling should be good enough to work in the White House.

In the world of sports, which is dominated by African Americans, the NFL expressed its disappointment in a statement after 14 head coach and front-office jobs were filled without one minority being hired. Will someone from Washington intervene in this serious injustice or will things continue to operate as normal by simply inviting the Superbowl champ to DC and ignoring the fact that the owner who walks on the lawn of the white house do not believe that minorities are qualified to become head coaches in the NFL? Will someone from Washington intervene in the college admission process by saying if they are good enough to earn billions of dollars in revenue for you on the football field they should be good enough to be accepted to attend your medical schools, law schools and undergraduate programs. You would think 45 years after the assassination of Dr. King we would not be dealing with these issues.

I know that President Obama is the President of the United States but in his second term it’s time to forget about what the Republicans will think and give minorities the opportunities that we never had before. The opportunities should be given to individuals who stood in line despite the tactics by the Republicans to suppress their votes. The nature of the political game dictates that appreciation is shown to those that stood behind you to help you get re-elected. Mr. President, the black communities need you to tell this country directly, not indirectly, that we need to see some noticeable changes. I can assure you once a Latino President is elected, he/she will make sure that the issues that impact their communities will be addressed. I do believe President Obama will make lobby for significant changes and will in fact make sure the changes are implemented. I just hope we hear those changes today while millions of people are listening.


Daryl K. Washington is an attorney located in Dallas, Texas. His practice includes Sports and Entertainment, Litigation and Business Transactions. The opinions expressed in the commentary are those of Daryl K. Washington and not Black Legal Issues. You can reach Daryl at dwashington@dwashlawfirm.com

The criticism received by the President has not stopped since he was re-elected last November. It would be unfair to say that other Presidents were not subjected to criticism but I do not recall any President being disrespected the way President Obama has been.

During President Obama's major health care speech on last year, South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson (R) yelled out "You lie!" when the President said the legislation would not mandate coverage for undocumented immigrants.

It was noted that this was not the only time the President has been interrupted as documented below:

It wasn't the only interruption during Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress in the House of Representatives. Earlier, Republicans laughed when Obama acknowledged that there are still significant details to be worked out before a health overhaul can be passed.

Wilson's outburst caused Obama to pause briefly before he went on with his speech. Overhead in the visitors' gallery, first Lady Michelle Obama shook her head from side to side.

There was also another incident in which Arizona Governor Brewer pointing her finger at President Obama -- a gesture that would fall outside the bounds of commonly accepted protocol for greeting and addressing the president of the United States.

Whenever other countries witness the President being treated in a disrespected manner our country is being viewed upon as a divided country. It's much easier to conquer a divided country. Once the President is elected, it's imperative that political views are placed aside and politicians begin to work together so that this country is in the best position to handle any attack on it.

The question remains, is President Obama being disrespected because he is black or because he is a democrat?

Daryl K. Washington is an attorney located in Dallas, Texas. His practice includes Sports and Entertainment, Litigation and Business Transactions. The opinions expressed in the commentary are those of Daryl K. Washington and not Black Legal Issues. You can reach Daryl at dwashington@dwashlawfirm.com