Blue-collar jobs should be "a choice, not an inevitability" for young black Bermudian males, Labour Minister David Burch told the Senate yesterday.

He said there was a dearth of local black men in the "high echelons of the business world" and studies had shown that those who were employed in the sector were paid less than their white counterparts.

Sen. Burch, who was an underwriting manager for 20 years, said young black males were put off pursuing white-collar jobs because they did not expect to succeed in them, based on what they saw on the Island.

"Early career choices are made that see boys opt for trades, where they can work with their hands," he said. "Thus the preference for working with hands passes from one generation to another."

The situation, he said, was the inevitable outcome of Bermuda's "tortured past" and the "historical marginalisation of black males" but now had to be turned around.

The Minister was speaking on a motion he moved for the Senate to take note of the Mincy Report — a study released last year on the employment, earnings and educational gaps between young black Bermudian males and their same-age peers.

His speech was based on one already delivered by the Premier in the House of Assembly on May 21.

Sen. Burch said the Mincy Report — "supported by sound reasoning and evidence" — concluded that many young black boys didn't think it was worth pursuing post-secondary education.

"It should challenge us to stop copping out by saying they can only work with their hands," he said of the report. "What it should do most of all is embarrass us into fixing this issue."

Junior Education Minister Walton Brown gave a potted history of the Island's power structure in the last century and how it was devised to benefit white males.

He spoke about how the voting system was based on land ownership until the mid-20th century, ensuring an imbalance of power and privilege for whites, and said dual seat constituencies had later involved a "manipulation of race for political purposes".

But the PLP senator said his party had been in power since 1998 and could no longer blame the UBP for inequalities. "Now, it's on us," he said. "I'm impatient for change. I want to see our young people have more and better education. That's what's going to equip them with choices."

Attorney General Kim Wilson said a key conclusion in the report was the need to expose young people to all careers. She said there was nothing dishonourable about being a plumber, labourer or electrician but boys had to be told they could be many other things.

Sen. Wilson, who served as a school guidance counsellor for five years before attending law school, said it was important for everyone in the community to pass that message on to the young people they encountered.

Recently she met a group of students who were surprised to learn that her husband was a scientist "because he was a black man".

"We need to make sure we are exposing our children to that," she said, adding that youngsters would realise they could "reach for the stars" if they were educated about successful African American professionals.

The Justice Minister said mothers played a huge part in shaping their children's choices and needed to ensure they were "raising our men to be men" and not babying them.

Eighteen male CedarBridge students were interviewed last year for the Mincy Report and independent senator Walwyn Hughes said that was a small number.

But he said their testimony was "poignant" as these were boys set to graduate but who clearly weren't ready for the next stage in their lives or informed enough to make proper career choices.

Sen. Hughes said: "We should not lose sight of the fact that there are thousands of young black Bermudians who are doing brilliantly well, getting the highest academic marks. We need to get more of that."

Opposition senator Suzann Roberts Holshouser said: "It is imperative that we address the concerns as outlined in this report. Discrimination is unacceptable."

She suggested that boys and girls learn differently and that single-sex schooling could be useful.

l Further Senate session reporting will appear in tomorrow's Royal Gazette.