Mr. Weeks' article contributes to the growing trend of "dumbing down" America. The Ph.D. is the highest degree one can earn at a university. It signifies not only years of learning but also the ability to analyze situations, think critically and conduct thorough research --- skills that are transferable to many different sectors and that help us to be better informed and be better citizens. But Mr. Weeks is not just diminishing the value of the doctorate, he also attempts to minimize the value of learning. Are we to say to children that since "Ernest Hemingway never even went to college" they should not either? Do we want to send this message to children today, especially to children of color, many of whom are dropping out of school in high numbers?

Mr. Weeks claims that there is a proliferation of Ph.Ds because getting a doctorate is like a stroll in the park --- it is no problem to just go out and get one. The reality is that at least fifty percent of students who begin a doctorate drop out of their programs. More importantly, of those who actually get the doctorate, very few are people of color. For example, statistics from the National Science Foundation show that 79.3 percent of Whites got doctorates in the year 2000, compared to 18.6 percent of people of color (this includes Blacks, Hispanics, Asians and Native Americans).

Studies show that the high drop out rate among doctoral students is largely due to lack of funding, support, and mentoring. These problems persist for all doctoral candidates, but women doctoral candidates often have additional responsibilities such as children, families and jobs, are more likely to be hindered by financial difficulties, and frequently face sexism. The challenges for women of color doctoral candidates are even greater. Women of color lack role models and mentors in university doctoral programs, where professors of color are vastly underrepresented. Moreover, minority women students are not immune from the racism and sexism that exist in the academy, as in the larger society.

At SisterMentors, a nonprofit program that promotes education among women and girls of color, we are very well aware of these realities. As women of color doctoral candidates of different races and ethnicities, we come together to help each other complete our dissertations and get our doctorates. Many of us are the first generation in our families to get a doctorate or advanced degree. Evidence suggests that our drop out rate is higher than the general population and statistics show that very few of us are earning the doctorate. For example, out of the 29,837 doctorates earned in 2000, only 2,948 went to women of color (this includes Blacks, Latinas, Asians and Native Americans).

Moreover, we see our years of learning and our earning the doctorate as an important asset to the economic and social advancement of communities of color. We give back to our communities by mentoring girls of color in middle and high schools in the D.C. area. By serving as role models for girls of color, we hope to help decrease the high drop out rate among these girls. Our message to girls of color is to stay in school, do well, and go to college. Mr. Weeks tells us that Langston Hughes did not have a Ph.D. and that he did not need one. We tell our girls that they need all the education they can get to survive in today's complex world and we encourage them to seek inspiration from women like Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander --- one of the first black women in America to get the doctorate in 1921 --- who persevered and achieved academic success despite the odds.

Sincerely,


SisterMentors
Promoting Education Among Women and Girls of Color
A Project of EduSeed, A Nonprofit Organization