African American Fathers: The Worst Fathers?
Left to themselves, African American mothers are having to nurture, provide for and protect their families with little to no support from their children's fathers.
Online, June 22, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Single mothers, according to most recent statistics, are increasingly raising their children alone, but in no race or culture is this more prevalent than with African Americans.
Over 70 percent of black children in America are raised in households where no father is present, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Research further shows that black men are in large part either choosing not to become fathers or abandoning their parental responsibilities altogether. What have been the consequences of this on the family, society, the world, and even the future of the race?
Dr. Nathaniel Wilson, founder and owner of the Atlanta Center for Family Wellness in Atlanta, Georgia, says, "It's important that we deal with this so that we don't raise another generation of young boys who become men and practice this same behavior." Even if a child raised without a father becomes successful, gaining a lot of material or financial resources, these adults are emotionally damaged. Dr. Wilson says, "When I deal with adults [in my practice] who have had this kind of disruption in the home, often times, there is this embattled, enraged, unprocessed feeling about why this happened."
Dr. Wilson attributes this pattern to how African American males have come to define manhood, Dr. William McCloud, author of "Setbacks Create Comebacks," attributes this to economic disparity. Unemployment among black males is higher than any other population at 14.1 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor (January 2009). This fact, along with other financial limitations for black males, is the reason that "they are unable" to properly support their families, suggests Dr. McCloud. At age 80, the three-time Emmy award winner feels he has seen for himself what has caused this shift.
Dr. McCloud will be a guest this week on Allwrite Radio to discuss Part II of Black Fathers: The Worse Fathers? The show will air on BlogTalkRadio on Saturday, June 26, 2010, at 10 a.m. EST. People can call in at (347) 539-5403 or simply listen online to hear or discuss this topic.
Dr. Wilson was on for Part I of the discussion the previous week on Saturday, June 19, 2010. He is a clinical psychologist and author of a children's book series called "I'm Okay." His organization B.E.M.E. seeks to empower young African American males to achieve family, emotional, academic and financial success.