For 25 years, I served as a Black male teacher, principal, and college professor, working with Black boys and young men in multiple states, including Washington. I no longer live there, but the patterns I witnessed in Washington’s communities mirror what I’ve seen nationwide. They point to a hard truth: Black male unemployment is not primarily a jobs problem. It is a connection problem — between family, education, and work.
That reality is especially striking today. Washington’s overall unemployment rate has hovered around 4.4 to 4.5 percent, yet employers continue to report roughly 130,000 unfilled jobs across the state. Construction, manufacturing, health care support, logistics, and the skilled trades all face persistent worker shortages. Business and workforce projections warn that Washington will face more than 1.5 million job openings over the next decade, driven largely by retirements and economic growth. This is not a lack of opportunity. It is a failure to connect people to opportunity.
At the same time, Black men in Washington continue to experience unemployment rates well above those of white men. When jobs are plentiful but a segment of the population remains disconnected, we have to look upstream. In my experience, the strongest predictors of whether a young man enters and stays in the workforce are not résumés or credentials alone, but family stability, mentoring, and community expectations.
Family structure matters more than policymakers often admit. Young men raised with engaged fathers or consistent male role models are more likely to develop habits that employers value: showing up on time, following through, and taking responsibility. Faith communities reinforce those habits by teaching discipline, service, and purpose — lessons that carry directly into the workplace. Churches, mentors, and community leaders often provide the first examples of what it means to work not just for a paycheck, but to provide for others.
This focus on responsibility and purpose aligns closely with the argument made by Ian Rowe in his book Agency. Rowe argues that young people thrive when they believe their choices matter and that they are responsible for shaping their own futures. Family, faith, and community institutions are where that sense of agency is formed. Without it, even well-funded workforce programs struggle to deliver lasting results.
Education plays a role, too — but only when it is connected to real work. Too many students leave high school without a clear understanding of how education translates into employment. Meanwhile, employers say they need workers with practical skills, strong work habits, and entry-level training — not necessarily four-year degrees. Washington’s labor shortage exposes the disconnect between what schools often emphasize and what the labor market actually demands.
The solution is not more centralized bureaucracy, but stronger local partnerships. Businesses, community colleges, churches, and neighborhood organizations can work together to create apprenticeships, earn-while-you-learn programs, and credential pathways tied directly to in-demand jobs. When young men see a clear path from education to a paycheck — and from a paycheck to supporting a family — work becomes meaningful, not abstract.
Conservative, community-centered solutions are well suited to this challenge. Strengthening fatherhood and family formation, reforming policies that unintentionally discourage work, expanding employer-led training, and supporting second-chance hiring all respect human dignity while addressing real labor market needs. Faith-based and local organizations should be empowered, not sidelined, because they know their communities by name, not by spreadsheet.
Washington’s labor shortage presents a rare opportunity. Filling those jobs will require more than economic growth; it will require rebuilding the bridge from family to education to work. After 25 years in education, I am convinced of this: Black boys do not lack talent. Too often, they lack alignment, agency, and clear pathways into adulthood. When families are strong, faith communities are engaged, and education is tied to real jobs, employment follows — and communities grow stronger because of it.