VisionAfricaMedia

By Dr. Verna M Davis, PhD.

The data on problems with single parent households, when it relates to black people, are greatly exaggerated by a biased white media. Contrary to these reports, which almost always misrepresent the facts, the black family in America has never been more wholesome, and more so today. Many reasons have been accorded for this “supposed ” single parent household from the 1950s to the present time. The truth is; black men have been systematically eliminated from the family by a racist justice system wherein black men, the fathers of black children, are given unfairly long prison sentences for committing minor infractions, while whites get less prison time when they commit larger and more serious crimes.

Secondly, a mother would not be able to get any type of family aid from the racist social agencies if the usually unemployed/under employed father was in the home. Unscheduled and regular social raids were made on the home and any type of male or evidence of the presence of a male in the home and will be used as grounds to withhold aid from the family. These raids were conducted by “social service ” investigators.

Children in the family learned early to inform the mother if news of such raids were known. They were also taught to be secretive about when and if they see their fathers. Despite these obstacles, the father was very much a part of his family. They devised different kinds of ways to communicate with their families. If a black man is imprisoned, he wrote instructions to his wife and children. If working in another state OR county, he would be forced to send messages via the “grape vine,”

We have heard the R&B record ” I heard it through the grapevine.” The man of the house would send a message to his wife and kids by someone traveling in the direction of his family. That person would tell the message to someone going closer to the family. and so on and so on until the message finally is received by his family. it was in a code that whites did not understand.

If the father was employed nearby under a different name, he would risk sneaking to his own family in the middle of the night. Such a visit would be a joyous reunion for wife and children, but short by necessity. But then, if the woman became pregnant, she would lie about who the father was as she could not place her husband’s name on the birth certificate. Thus, many children ‘s birth certificates were stamped “illegitimate” at the bottom of the birth certificate.

It was a game blacks had to play in order to get the minimal assistance from social welfare systems. Another scenario is if the father is murdered, the woman would find another man to help raise her children. He was usually introduced as “uncle,”, “cousin “”mister.” etc. who just happened to sleep in mom’s room., Some women turned to prostitution or shot sexual affairs to raise their kids when the father could not legally be in the home. The father usually knew and understood the situation. His children were doing well because of what the mother did. Rather than anger or resentment, he loved his wife and family and supported his wife in every way he could.

His children and wife loved and respected him. When he was released from jail or prison, he would return home, under cover, to be with his family. “under cover.” Many women claimed not to be married, so the piteous social organizations termed them “bastards.” Also, the social agencies would cease that bare minimal assistance when the child turned age 16. Without that support, many children had to drop out of school and perform manual labor., that is if the white man “allowed ” him to work at all.

Many men turned to theft, robbery, etc. to raise their families, despite the white controlled media who report only negative news about blacks, a researcher can find much evidence that the black family is whole, complete, and thriving in this racist society that is at war with the black man and other persons of color. if one only reads what the media writes, how can people know the truth. it is possible that blacks are treated similarly in other countries and apply strategies to prosper in that country similar to black Americans.