Eight Reasons Blacks Are Failing In The Post Obama Era and Eight Ways To Change

The National Urban League (Urban League) just released its’ “The State of Black America 2009” report. According to the report:

"Despite the election of the nation’s first Black president and the growing clout of Black Capitol Hill lawmakers, the lot of African Americans remains largely unchanged and even slightly worse.

…African Americans [are] twice as likely as Whites to be unemployed and three times more likely to live in poverty; and with the gap in home ownership rates widening from 64 to 63 percent, economics remained the area with the greatest degree of inequality and worsened from 57.6 percent in 2008 to 57.4 percent in 2009.

Blacks [are] six times more likely than Whites to be incarcerated; equality in social
justice also remained elusive, declining from 62.1 to 60.4 percent. Education (78.6 percent to 78.5 percent) and civic engagement (100.3 percent to 96.3) also demonstrated growing rather than diminishing gaps. Health care was the only area that showed progress, with parity increasing from 73.3 percent to 74.4 percent."

The question is; why are some African Americans continuing to sub-achieve, even as a growing number gain unprecedented success? I believe the reason we as a race continue to fall short of our true manifest abilities is us or more exactly, our p-poor choices.

Have you ever read Mathew Lynch’s “15 Reasons Why Black Students Continue To Underachieve”? I believe that the reasons Lynch sites for the failure of African American students may also explain why African Americans, in general, continue to fall short of their potential. But what struck me most was that out of the 15 issues Lynch talked about, 8 were under the individual’s and family’s control and none of them would cost a dime to change! How many of you have ever thought that while racism is a part of the problem, many African Americans blame to many of their failures on a failed system? If so, yours is a legitimate point of view. For instance, take poverty. African Americans cannot blame a lack of achievement solely on poverty because it’s often hard to tell which came first: poor behavior that led to poverty, or poverty that forced one into poor behavior. My central point is it’s not all someone else’s fault or the failure of institution’s that has completely caused some African Americans to sub-achieve: it was their poor choices. The external solutions proposed by the Urban League are only band aids. Brothers, sisters; we must fix ourselves and our families to thrive!

The following eight maladies, adapted from Lynch’s discourse, continue to prevent some African Americans from achieving high levels of success.

I. Self Sabotage

Many African Americans simply believe that they cannot achieve the American Dream. My experience is that while many African Americans in the lower socioeconomic class give lip service to achieving the American Dream traditionally (i.e. through hard work, education, business ownership, saving, etc.), in actuality many behave, and teach their children (either through life choices, deeds and actions) that they cannot achieve the American Dream, at least in the traditional sense. In fact, African Americans in the lower socioeconomic class see entertainment, sports, or crime as their only way to prosperity.

Black America, if more of us are truly going to rise, we are going to have to change our priorities and our choices. We are going to have to choose to stay in school, be fathers to our children, avoid premarital sex, save our money, and open businesses. Simply put, we must put school before tennis shoes.

II. Family Influences

“In the United States today, more than 63 percent of African American children come from single parent homes, most of which have the mother as the primary caregiver. Having no positive male role model, the boys in the home are particularly at risk to fail in school and get into trouble. As the mother’s time is stretched so thinly, the girls in the family are at risk for teenage pregnancy…"

“Just my baby’s daddies” need to be more than that. You need to be fathers to your children: read my post entitled "No Father = Broken Child: On The Absence of Black Fathers".

III. Cultural Gaps

African Americans have a culture unlike any other. Unfortunately, our culture is often looked upon as negative. As Lynch observed, “…our hairstyles, dress, music, body language, and verbal communication styles can be disconcerting to a society that is based on conformity. When defining or identifying behavioral problems [as a group], it is important to consider the influence of culture on the definition and perception of the behaviors [how others outside the hood see us].”

As African Americans, it’s important for us to understand several things in order to be successful: First, while we are proud of who we are, not all of us grew up in “the hood.” Second, we don’t have to emulate the negative aspects of urban community life. Third, we most certainly don’t have to carry “the hood” everywhere we go. Finally, it’s okay to speak and act properly...or at least know how and when to do so.

Let's put an end to "single-parenting." Let's save our money to build businesses by buying only what we need, living below our means, and pooling our resources. Let's tutor our kids, and teach them it's okay to do good in school!

V. Lack of Parental Involvement

“Parental involvement is actually the best predictor of a [child’s] …achievement. Parent involvement demonstrates…the importance of… [a wide variety of issues], resulting in [either success of failure]…higher aspirations in life. In contrast…parents who are not involved…are more likely to ‘raise adults’ who struggle academically, experience behavior problems, and generally make poor choices.”

Again, African American parents must accept that they are parents, know how to take care of themselves and their kids, and make it a priority to take time out with them.

IV. Crime and Drug Abuse

According to Lynch, African American males make up the majority of those incarcerated in the nation’s prisons. Why? As Lynch explains , it's not bias on the part of law enforcement but...the all-too-frequent...inability of young people to overcome the risk factors of single-parent homes, poverty, failing schools, and cultural gaps... resistance to Middle-Class…Norms “Instead of surrendering to the typical standards of behavior and success…which many African American[s]…view as cruel and oppressive, some…end up rejecting European American speech patterns and devaluing high academic achievement, therefore unintentionally limiting themselves.”

I applaud the fact that many African Americans want to hold on to what they feel is their unique identity but as Lynch says, “sometimes it may be better to play the game. This does not mean becoming a sellout or the “Decent Negro” that Nas talks about on his latest album, Streets Disciple; it means that you are a very sagacious individual.”

VI. Lack of Priorities

Unfortunately, many African Americans do not realize that school, business ownership, and saving should be their first priority. In other words; we should put more emphasis on what’s in our brains, in our names, and in our savings account than what is on our backs.

VII. Low Effort Syndrome

“This phrase was coined by Jonathon Ogbu in his monumental book, Black American Students in an Affluent Suburb. It simply means that some African American pupils are not adequately engaged in their academic endeavors. The time that most African American children spend actively engaged in learning, studying, and enrichment is not conducive to the acquisition of intellective competence and perpetuates the myth of African American intellectual inferiority.” In layman’s terms, most African American students, and African Americans in general, do not work hard in school.

VIII. Anti-Intellectualism

“Traditionally, African Americans have been labeled as intellectually inferior to other races. As a result, our culture began to collectively doubt their intellectual ability and began to associate scholarly achievement with “acting white.” This leads many African Americans to behave as though “school” and “black” are incongruous. This belief has effectively permeated the culture and cognitively debilitated its members. These truths are at the root of anti-intellectualism. What is most troubling is the fact that black student achievement is a problem among all classes of African Americans. In my opinion, anti-intellectualism is one of the most pernicious factors that contribute to the achievement gap.”

Black folk, please teach your kids that it's okay to be smart—and show it!

I believe my train of thought holds some merit, how about you? Do you feel the failure of some African Americans to achieve is tied directly to the choices they make? How much control do they have in their own success?

If you care as much as I do, help me answer these critical questions: please comment.

Broke? You Can Still Help Someone In Need - Form A Giving Circle

Sometimes, we get so caught up in what's wrong in our world and what needs to be done until we overlook all the good work that "we the people" are doing. One great example, the Giving Circle.

According to Wikipedia, "Giving Circles are a form of philanthropy consisting of groups of individuals who pool their funds and other resources to donate to their communities and seek to increase their awareness and engagement in the process of giving. Through this process, they seek to impact their owncommunities or larger areas - including to have global impacts. The circles can serve as a form of shared, or collective, giving in the context of community economic development or other social ventures.

Members of giving circles donate their own money or time to a pooled fund, decide together where to give these away, and often have some sort of social or educational interaction associated with the giving. Many circles, in addition to donating their money, also contribute their time and skills to supporting local causes."

Voice of America documents the trend saying, "There is strength in numbers. More and more Americans are discovering the truth of that adage ["It Is Better To Give Than Receive"]as they look to 'give back' to their communities. They are forming what are known as "giving circles," and these circles are changing the face of philanthropy in America."



This American Association of Retired Persons video does a great job of explaining the concept.

Here's how to start a Giving Circle.

I think this is one of the best examples of practical, solutions-based thinking I've seen. How about you? Could Giving Circles work in your community?

Black men in prison: To fix this problem we must fix the black family

I was reading an article by Earl Ofari Hutchinson entitled, "America's Prison Juggernaut Continues to Crush Black Males." In it, Ofari takes the central stance that "...High joblessness, failing public schools, budget cutbacks in skills training and placement programs, the refusal of employers to hire those with criminal records, and the gaping racial disparity in the drug sentencing laws are the major reasons why far more blacks than whites are behind bars."

Do you agree with this?

I'm not sure I do. Now, while I agree that these factors do play a role in crime for all races, I think other reasons are far more prominent. What about the role of the family? What about the absence of black fathers in the home or a positive role model in the male's life?

Black pastors, how do you feel about the role of family and black male crime?

Now, I don't know about your city, but here in Atlanta, news about black males committing crime doesn't seem to change, in good times and bad. To check out my notional feeling on this, I took the liberty of looking at some Bureau of Justice crime statistics for the years 1993 through 2009. What I found was interesting.

1993 - The incarceration rate of blacks was 7 times that of whites. At year end there were 1,471 black inmates per 100,000 black U.S. residents, compared to 207 white inmates per 100,000 white residents.

2000 - Among the more than 1.3 million sentenced inmates at year end, an estimated 428,300 were black males between the ages of 20 and 39. At year end 2000, 9.7% of black males age 25 to 29 were in prison, compared to 2.9% of Hispanic males and 1.1% of white males in the same age group.

2001 - Among the more than 1.3 million sentenced inmates at year end 2001, an estimated 441,700 were black males between the ages of 20 and 39. At year end 2001, 10.0% of black males age 25 to 29 were in prison, compared to 2.9% of Hispanic males and 1.2% of white males in the same
age group.

2002 - At year end, 10.4 % for black males age 25 to 29 were in prison.

2003 - At year end, 9.3% of black males age 25 to 29 were in prison.

2004 - About 8.4% of black males between ages 25 and 29 were in State or Federal prison

2005 - About 8.1% of black males age 25 to 29 were in State or Federal prison.

2007 - While the imprisonment rates for most groups increased during the past 7 years, the imprisonment rates for black males and black females decreased. At year end 2000, the black male imprisonment rate was 3,188 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents. White men were imprisoned at a rate of 410 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents. By year end 2007, the black male imprisonment rate had decreased to 3,138 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents, while the white male imprisonment rate increased to 481 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents. These changes resulted in a decrease in the ratio of imprisoned black men to imprisoned white men. In 2000 the ratio was 8 to 1 and in 2007 the ratio was 7 to 1.

Again, joblessness and failing public schools may explain some crime. However, it falls far from an answer. Many feel that the black economic resurgence occurred when Bill Clinton was in office (January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001). If this is true, how would Hutchinson and others explain the rise in black crime rates during this period?

I think it's high time for the black community to seriously examine the core issues affecting crime in our community: absence of black fathers, absence of positive role models in the lives of many young black males, single mothers (may of whom are babies themselves) trying to raise a child, the negative images the media keeps pumping out to our youth, and the lack of personal responsibility and accountability in general.

Black moms, do you really think your kids can listen to much of today's music and watch many of today's videos and not be negatively affected? You tell me.

I tell you, I don't think we're going to fix this problem until we fix the black family.

Now tell me; what do you think? --IamRobert and I'm listening.

Hunger Hits The Middle Class...In America!

How many of you were aware of the following?

Food pantries are no longer strictly the realm of the low-income or "working poor." Now, more than ever, "middle-class poor" families with two incomes from the suburbs are seeking assistance from food banks. America, this is the reality all across the country from Wilmington, Ohio to Atlanta, Georgia clear to North Texas. People don't have enough food and are turning to food banks for sustenance: problem is, the food banks don't have enough food to go around.

Were you aware of this?

According to Society for City Mayors, “Twenty cities (95 per cent) reported an increase in the demand for emergency food assistance over the past year, one city reported that demand stayed the same and four cities were not able to answer this question. All 21 cities with available data cited an increase in the number of persons requesting food assistance for the first-time. The increase was particularly notable among working families.”

Or this?

According to the International Herald Tribune,

"Overall, demand at food banks throughout the country increased by 30 percent in 2008 from the previous year, according to a survey by Feeding America, which distributes more than two billion pounds of food every year. While pantries usually see a drop in demand after the holiday season, many in upscale suburbs this year are experiencing the opposite."

In 2007, 3.4 percent of all U.S. households (3.9 million households) accessed emergency food from a food pantry one or more times.

But you can help.

Donate – Money if you can. But the food banks are in desperate need of food. Buy an extra can good or other food item and donate it to food banks, homeless shelters, churches, and retailers who gather food for the less fortunate.

Advocate – Join a hunger action center in your community.

Volunteer – Work in a local homeless shelter or food bank.

So, join me, donate now (please click link to go straight to their website) to Feeding America (formally Americans Second Harvest). You never know, you just might be feeding your neighbor.


Everyone has something to share. Please comment!

No Daddy = Broken Child: On The Absence Of Black Fathers

Today was a day like any other day. Mom and I got up, got dressed, and prepared our children for school. Mornings are always special for me because spend a few moments alone with my little “Spud” before dropping her off to school. She came into my life at the ripe old age of, well, let’s just say ripe. Anyway, she has added a joy and meaning like nothing else ever has, or will. So, you can imagine my glee when someone asked that I write a post on black fatherhood.

Oh yes, there are lots of statistics out there that point out what black fathers aren’t doing and lots of theories as to why—but I’m not interested in them (safe to say that one missing dad is one too many). And, as practical people, I don’t believe you are either. What I think you really want to know is: How is this issue affecting our community; Why are some black fathers “missing in action”; What is the role of a black father; What makes a good dad; What can be done to help more black men assume their role as dads; and What’s being done to right this issue.

First, here’s a public service announcement: for those of you who don’t know, not all black men are absent from their kid’s lives. Second, not all absent dads are “deadbeat dads”. Finally, not all absent dads are poor. Hey, just thought you should know.

No Dad = Broken Child

Bill Cosby has said that the absence of black fathers in the house is the root cause of black America’s problems. But it’s not just him, so don’t hate. Thirty-five years ago, Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D.-N.Y.)…called black fatherlessness, ``the fundamental weakness of the Negro community…" (which dispels one myth, that the “absence” of black fathers is a new phenomenon). President Barack Obama, having grown up without a father, said in an address to the Apostolic Church of Chicago:

The absence of fathers is important because "children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of schools and 20 times more likely to end up in prison."

William Raspberry agrees and also noted that in addition to poverty, crime, and school failure, “Father absence…predisposes our children to an intergenerational repetition of the grim cycle.”

It also takes two to tango, and there are many that feel children that grow up without a father figure in their life miss important socialization dynamics—discipline, role modeling, common male behavior, male female interaction, etc. Basically, the absence of a dad risks a child that is a little incomplete. Suffice it to say that the absence of a man in the house is not the only factor for poor school performance, poverty, or crime. It is also important to note that not every child growing up in a single parent household will suffer these maladies. Yet, the evidence is clear, two-parent families and their children often do better.

Why Don’t You Want To Be My Daddy?

Some blame fatherlessness and out-of-wedlock births on cultural breakdown and moral failure. Others believe the problem is caused by a poor father's inability to support a family—poor education, no jobs or low paying jobs. Many black men often site untrustworthy, or bossy, or disrespectful women as the reason for their absence. Religious leaders point out the demise of the family in general. Some call to question the role of the media. I accept and reject all of them. Like the folks at Morehouse (Turning the Corner on Father Absence in Black America, a recent conference paper on African-American fathers and families—American Values.org), I don’t think there is any one cause for black fathers' absence. But, if I had to pick one cause, I would say disdain for ones self and the mother of the child. Don’t agree? Why do you feel someone would abandon their own flesh and blood? Have any of you out there felt you have been put in a position to do so? If so, please let me know.

Who Am I?

What makes a good dad? Is it being able to buy your children the things they need? Is it being sure they have a roof over their heads? Providing food for them to eat? Is it paying for their college education? Is it listening to their thoughts? Is it guiding/disciplining them? Is it being a loving partner? Is it providing a stable, calm, drama-free environment? Perhaps being a good dad is about being a good role model. Or, maybe it’s being a friend. Possibly it might entail taking them to your local church, synagogue, or mosque. I say, it’s all of these things. To me being a good dad means GIVING WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO GIVE—ALL OF IT; ALL THE TIME. To render being a dad to any one, or several, of these things runs the risk of making all black men poor dads because we all have different gifts, abilities, and circumstances. That’s why the “bad dad” causal theories don’t work for me. By focusing on what the man doesn’t have, we [society] forget to nourish and praise him for what he can give.

Anyone can be a good dad. Not sure you're the father? Demand a paternity test. Divorced? Pay your child support, spend time with your kids, and respect their mother. Thug? Do your duty, don’t raise one: that’s “gangsta.” Jobless? Spend time with your kids, guide them, discipline them, support their mother, be their friend. Addicted? Seek help, and in the meantime, see your kids. Single? Protect yourself and avoid having kids out of wedlock. Fed up? Respect yourself and the mother of your kids, even if she doesn’t respect herself or you. Incarcerated? Call your kids, write to them, tell them to avoid what you have done, and think of them to gain strength to do right when you do get out. And when you get out, go see them. Got too many kids? Give each and every one of them as much time, money, and energy as you can spare. Got money? Got a good job? A house on the hill? Pay your child support, buy them the little extras (without being asked), and start them a college fund, spend time with them, teach them how you got where you are. Bottom line is you’ve got something to give! Black fathers the world ‘round, know this: you are a father by virtue of having functional sperm. You become a dad when you exhibit, teach, and share your virtue.

It’s Barack-o-Daddy!

My wife has taught my two year old daughter just about everything there is to know about President Obama. She screams his name each time she sees a picture of him and when asked who her President is, she screams, Barack Obama! Well, sometimes daddy gets just a little jealous and shouts, Barack-o-Daddy! But, upon reflection, there’s something to this. I don’t think the country has seen a more poised, dignified, hardworking, loving and intelligent public figure (who also appears to be a great dad) in some time. He makes you want to do better, brings out the best in others, works hard, tries his best, and learns from his mistakes. He gives whatever he has. That’s what makes a good dad. And guess what, you can be one too. We all have a God-given capacity—use it for your kids.

Helping Fathers Become Dads

The Center for Marriage and Family has ten recommendations.

1. Urge African American fathers and mothers to recognize their obligations to each other and to work to build stronger parenting partnerships for the benefit of their children.

2. Urge the Black church to help build a powerful new movement aimed at gender and family healing. This movement should include the following aspects: initiatives designed to improve the quality of relationships between Black men and Black women; and programs aimed at preparing men and women for marriage.

3. Churches and other organizations [should] support families by taking a much more active role in the education of Black children through the development of alternative community-based and values-oriented educational systems…

4. Civil rights organizations and professional, civic, fraternal and philanthropic groups within the African American community [should] make the issue of reuniting fathers and children a top priority for at least the next decade through programs of advocacy, family reconciliation, and community mobilization.

5. [The] media…especially Black media, to use their power for at least the next decade to promote positive images of men and fatherhood in Black America.

6. [The] United States Congress [should] pass, and the President sign, legislation this fiscal year authorizing at least $2 billion over the next five years to support community-based fatherhood programs aimed at reversing the trend of father absence in our nation.

7. Federal-state child support enforcement program to institute basic reforms to encourage fathers active participation in the lives in the lives of their children by promoting self-sufficiency for fathers, encouraging marriage, and engaging faith-based and other community organizations in promoting responsible fatherhood.

8. We urge government at all levels, the business community, and the entire civil society to take concerted action for at least the next decade to reverse inequities in the treatment of fathers in public and private sector policy and to improve the economic prospects and marriageability of poor men.

9. We urge the criminal justice system at all levels of government to develop creative strategies aimed at reconnecting fathers and children where there is a desire to do so on the part of family members.

10. We urge every governmental or community-based program that has a relationship with unwed parents to help connect interested parents with faith-based marriage education and marriage mentoring programs.

MSNBC — A Push For Positive Change

This Sunday, February 8 at 8:00 pm Eastern Time, MSNBC will air “A Father’s Promise,” which coincides with Black History Month. According to MSNBC, A Father’s Promise is an attempt to understand this issue through round-table discussion. Discussion panelist include a cross-section of African-Americans including Al Roker; Tiki Barber; Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey; Rev. Eugene Rivers, a Boston pastor and MSNBC analyst; Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Princeton University professor of Politics and African American Studies; and Marni McKoy, Heru’s Principal at Lind Community School in Newark. I've included the video trailer. You may also click the link below to see the clip.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/28896095#28896095

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Share Your Thoughts

Fathers, what do you need to get you involved in your child's life?

Mothers, what is your biggest frustration with your child's father?

Mothers, why do you feel your child's father is not in their lives?

Does anyone out there feel the other parent uses the child as a pawn?

If you could tell the other parent one thing, what would it be?