If you listen to certain media outlets, or much of society, they would tell you that black men are not active in their children’s lives. This is a long standing stereotype that has put a dark cloud over the black community. The far right “conservatives” love to throw the “black dads are absent” rhetoric out there whenever it suits them, but guess what? Not the case anymore! It’s actually quite the opposite, with statistics showing that the vast majority of black fathers are actively involved in their children’s lives.
Over the last few years I’ve witnessed black males being more and more involved with their kids. And as dreadful as Gen Z can be (sorry, ya’ll don’t be having any manners), I’ve specifically noticed how active they are. I see young black men with their kids almost on a daily basis. After witnessing this, I decided to do some research on the current statistics of black males’ activeness with their children. To my not so surprise, the majority of black men are heavily involved with their kids. Over 74% of black men are reported to be actively involved in their kids’ lives. Black fathers experience a less drastic decline in involvement compared to White and Hispanic fathers after a non-marital birth. While a higher percentage of black fathers live apart from their children compared to white fathers, a significant number still maintain a strong involvement in their children’s lives, even from a distance. Also, black mothers report more positive co parenting with non-resident fathers than white mothers.
Now, there are a few more statistics showing black men out performing white men when it comes to fatherhood, but that’s not what this is about, the purpose is to finally put the “black men are deadbeat dads” to bed. I was actually a little shocked when I saw the statistics public, considering for years “they’ve” tried to oppress, and diminish our value. But, I guess we might be finally making some progress. The narrative has been pushed for entirely too long, and it’s time for it to finally be debunked.
