Responsible Government:
Investing in the Well-being of Black Fathers, Families and Communities

"African American fathers are a strong support to the health and well-being of the family unit. Government should and must play an active role in supporting African American families. This report shows that by investing in the well-being of our Black fathers, we will strengthen the Black family and provide pathways out of poverty and greater opportunities for all."
- Rep. Barbara Lee, Chairwoman, Congressional Black Caucus

A nation’s wealth and thus its future can be measured by the well-being of its children. If we measure the wealth of the United States by the well-being of our children, the message is troubling. The United States has the highest child poverty rate among 24 industrialized countries. Within this statistic is an even more troubling picture of "two worlds of childhood," where Black, Latino, and Native American children experience significantly higher poverty rates than White and Asian children. Children who grow up in poverty face tough odds for positive outcomes in almost every aspect of life-economic, educational and social. While this is true for all children in poverty, research shows that the odds are even steeper for African American children.

Debate continues among the general public and within African American communities as to where responsibility lies for bettering these outcomes and promoting vital, self-sufficient families and communities. Must the government do more? Must Black fathers and families do more? This paper suggests that the optimal answer is yes to both questions.

The report focuses on mutual and interlocking responsibility - in particular, the need for government to address the bigger picture of embedded racial inequities that produce accumulated barriers for African American men, families and communities, and the need for disconnected African American men to embrace familial and civic responsibilities and opportunities, thereby strengthening their communities and younger generations. Fathers’ positive involvement in their children’s lives and men’s positive involvement in their communities are irreplaceable contributions to the strength of African American communities, and thus the strength of our nation.

How men make decisions about fatherhood, become involved fathers, make decisions around marriage, and contribute positively to their communities is inextricably tied to the structural barriers that they face. Too many African American men have to make these decisions within what Catholic Charities USA calls "overlapping threats to the common good" - poverty and racism.4 This paper summarizes the policies and practices that contribute to inequitable outcomes for African American families, even when these policies and practices are not explicitly race-focused. It also examines the consequences of the message that low opportunity imparts to struggling African Americans about "how the world works" - or doesn’t - for their families and communities. It acknowledges the ultimately self-defeating decisions some individuals may make within a milieu of seemingly few options.

The report documents the progress we can make as a nation when the commitment to mutual responsibility flourishes. Because of recent intentional changes in social policy with regard to fathers -- changes which have received bipartisan support -- measurable strides have been made in the last 15 years in terms of men’s involvement with their children and fulfillment of their financial obligations. These are documented below. Yet, the report also documents how much there is left to do - measures which can take direction from the successes already demonstrated.

This information is timely, in view of H.R.2979: The Julia Carson Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act of 2009.ii Its discussion can be informed by what has been learned from almost two decades of government supports for working families, the impact of welfare reform, and the growth of the Responsible Fatherhood movement. These issues are situated within a context in which African American families have been and are still differentially affected by social policy and practice.

The simplified conceptual platform for this report is offered by Figure 1, which depicts the interlocking and inter-generational nature of these structural, cultural, and policy issues.
Prepared with the support of the Annie E. Casey Foundation by Paula Dressel of JustPartners, Inc., and Stacey Bouchet of Bouchet and Associates Strategic Consulting. The authors thank the following people for their input: Helen Mitchell, William Julius Wilson, Vivian Gadsden, Margaret Simms, Obie Clayton, Ron Mincy, Kirk Harris, Delia Carmen, and Ira Barbell. The findings and conclusions presented here are those of the authors alone. As such, they do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Foundation or those providing input.