Fatherlessness In The Black Community Research Paper

There are many open wounds in the African-American community that have not healed what so ever. Disintegration of family structures in the African-American community has been a persistent problem for far too long. High out of wedlock birth rates, absent fathers, and the lack of a family support network for many young African-Americans have led to serious problems in America's urban areas. The persistence of serious social problems in inner-city areas has led to a tragic perpetuation of racial prejudice as well. African Americans still face a litany of problems in the 21st century today.

In the past weeks, writings by anthropologists and sociologists integrate two realms of black middle-class life that influence the decisions and prospects of black youths today-socioeconomic and cultural. Wilson (1996), on the one hand, hypothesizes a potential relationship between neighborhood-level socioeconomic status and individual-level perceptions of efficacy. Valentine and Lewis, on the other, demonstrate the idea that culture of poverty exists both as a self-perpetuating way of life that is “passed down from generation to generation along family

In the chapter entitled: " Black Men: How to perpetuate prejudice without really trying" several myths are disputed with statistics. Black men are far more likely to be the victims of crime than whites, as well as dying in violent crime at a much higher rate. They have had a dramatic spike in the teen suicide rate, and face much higher disease rates in the community. All these facts are hidden by the media and society in general because they are considered to be too common. Barry Glassner is a Sociology professor at the University of Southern California.

59 percent of African American households in Maryland in 2009 consist of only one parent. Both the author and the other Wes grew up without a father figure. Graduation rate of 66.7 percent for Baltimore City Schools

In Hill’s (1972) seminal work, The Strengths of Black Families, on African American families, he states that “strong kinship bonds, a strong work orientation, adaptability of family roles, a strong achievement orientation, and a strong religious orientation were characteristics that have been functional for their survival, development and stability”. Hill (1999) states that strong kinship ties are the greatest enduring family qualities and are imbedded in West African cultural values. This strong kinship connection encompasses the significance of extended family, which is inclusion of fictive kin as family, the high value placed on children, and honor and respect for older adults (Billingsley, 1992).

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, introduces the topic of mass incarceration by referring to Barack Obama's speech regarding black men being “better fathers” on Father’s Day. Although several black celebrities, like Bill Cosby and Louis Farrakhan, who “summoned one million black men for a day of “atonement” and recommit to their families and communities” (p. 179) already mentioned the absences of black fathers, media treated the event as memorable. Despite the fact that Obama is aiming to bring families and communities together, media and politicians refuse to acknowledge why there are missing fathers in several families. Though these important individuals want to speak about these family problems, they are afraid to mention that the

“The black family in the age of mass incarceration,” author Ta-Nehisi Coates toss back on the attempt of “The Negros family”, report by the American politician and sociologist Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s have benefactor to reduce America’s mass detainment, bringing about a country with the world’s biggest jail populace and the largest rate of detainment. In this article, he explained about the difficulties of black families about the racism that have continually arisen in times gone by to present day. Moynihan, who was brought up from a broken home and pathological family, had polite intrusion when he wrote the article “The Negros family.” His article argued that the government has disparaged the damage caused to the black family from past few centuries.

Throughout history Black fathers are characterized as being “deadbeat dads” or not be around to raise their children. There is this ongoing issue that shows Black fathers being ignored and hindered in American society. Starting back in slavery, Black fathers job was to tend to the fields and to whatever the master wanted. This caused the separation between children and their fathers. Many times, the owners would split of the families, so that mean children did not have time to get the love or attention they needed from their fathers.

Growing up in a Colored Home Back in the 1960s The social, political, and economic conditions of the 1960s influenced the difficulties of growing up in a colored home. African Americans were faced with a society that was unfriendly towards their existence as individuals because racism and discrimination were common during this time. Black families in the 1960s were strong and resilient, as they relied on each other and their community to survive and succeed despite the numerous obstacles they faced.

Alarmingly, African American men make up 6% of the general population, but they represent 50% of the prison community (Perry & Bright, 2012). Despite the atrocious effects of incarceration, African American boys feel that imprisonment is a way of life given the prevalence in their environments (Perry & Bright, 2012). The Bureau of Statistics (2011) reported that by the end of 2010, the African American prisoner population consisted of 3,074 prisoners per 100,000 while the Caucasian prisoner population consisted of 459 prisoners per 100,000; thereby making African American males seven times more distinguishable in the U.S. correctional system. Evidence shows that many African American children have incarcerated fathers but are hesitant about discussing its effects on their lives (Geller, 2009). The African American community cycle of incarceration is at an incline, therefore parental incarceration is highly suggested in screening assessments for therapy (Perry & Bright,

In recent discussions of the absence of black fathers, a controversial issue has been whether it can be prevented. On the one hand, some argue that it cannot. From this perspective, I contradict. In the words of Michelle Alexander, one of this view 's main proponents, "Hundreds of thousands of black men are unable to be good fathers to their children, not because of a lack of commitment or desire but because they are warehoused in prisons, locked in cages (Alexander, 2013, p. 739).

When Daniel Patrick Moynihan compiled his report, which became known as the Moynihan Report, in 1965, he coined the term ‘Tangle of Pathology.’ According to Moynihan, this is an intertwined set of negative factors which results in the dismal state of African Americans. The factors include but, are not limited to: fatherlessness, single mother families, criminality, educational failure and teenage pregnancy. The movie, Boyz in the Hood, contains numerous examples of these factors which Moynihan considered in coming up with the expression.

Social Group: Fathers During this time period, fathers were the “breadwinners” and expected to work and provide for their families. However, black fathers in the 1950’s particular had to work long hours because the only jobs available to them were often low paying. This directly correlates with African-American’s low place on the social ladder during this pre-Civil Rights era. It was also extremely difficult for African-American women to find work during this time, placing the financial buren solely on the father.

Works Cited King, Margaret A., and Alfred L. Karlson. An Examination of the Relationship Between Racial Preferences in Black Children and Their Self Concept. 1 Jan. 1979. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=eric&AN=ED169150&site=ehost-live. Lerman, Robert I. “Capabilities and Contributions of Unwed Fathers.”

Vonnie McLoyd discusses in the book Child Development that black families are more likely to face poverty in America and the effects that poverty has on those children. McLoyd states that children that have faced poverty in their lives can have “impaired socioemotional functioning” (McLoyd 311). As a result from job loss creating parental stress, parents often become