Revival of National Black Power conference starts today in Marietta (renting, violent crime)

[waltlantz]

The whole single parent deal I think is more pressing for our more imporvershed blacks. I'm not writing off on any father just up and running away after the child is born but if one parent has a good enough job and income, the problem isn't nearly as bad as it is if your family is poor IMHO.

[atlantagreg30127]

At my mid-40s, I remember the "black power" movement to have a much more radical agenda than uniting everyone together and just simply bettering the lives of the black community/children/etc. Of course, it was a different time then, but a few members of the panthers were even referred to as "domestic terrorists" by certain media at the time.

I don't see this as a good thing if the OLD "black power" groups are planning on doing things with the same mentality as the 60s/70s. This isn't THAT world any longer, and we need to move forward, not back.

[AcidSnake]

I see the black power movement as a mixed bag. On the one hand it espoused a sort of self-help styled empowerment creedence to a certain segment of the population that was literally living under a racial oligarchy & dictatorship. But on the other hand, the criminal acts & the incendiary rhetoric that flowed from the movement as represented by actors like the Black Panthers certainly didn't do much to help its case. Although to be fair, the movement never had a real chance to make its case anyway, certainly not with the U.S. media as it was structured at the time.

I would have to agree with Atlantagreg. If there was to be a NEW "black power" movement, it would have to be started up sans the violence ladened rhetoric. Didn't work back then, will not work now.

[waltlantz]

I kinda am in line with atlantareg.

I'm black and 21, my family is ambivalent of the Black Panther party and respective organizations.

It is true that they served their purpose and can still. The 60s was an important time in asserting ourselves. But I think they went a little overboard with the whole "We're not having this at a white owned hotel".

I mean partially it's personal. I wasn't born into the confrontational afrocentric times of the 60s and 70s. I also didn't grow up in the 'hood. and while I respect the time and people, I do think sometimes people take the whole "White man keepin us down" deal a little too far in certain instances.

It's kinda harsh but my mom and granddad have told me and my brother for years "We did good but too many of us have dropped the ball", theres too much of the "fight the power, fight the man" stuff that sometimes is overblown and oudated.

And when someone from outside the house (namely a different race) says that we have some self inflicted problems (perpetuation of gang culture, etc.), too often we get defensive. Ioono, in a simple sense my family while proud of it's history and culture is more in tune with the Bill Cosby "pound cake speech" ideals.

It seems like that they are focusing on health and education issues, which is perfectly fine.

[cbreeze22]

Originally Posted by naomisday

Merin,

I agree

My Parents have been Married 45 years, and My Grandparents were married 63 years--Family
is the Foundation --nothing can replace it....I am so grateful to have come from
an intact family with values....

Everyone has values, it's just a matter of whether or not they appear to line up with what society says are the "right" values.

I watch married parents of every race show their children how to lie, cheat, steal, shift blame, and demean others every single day. These are not the values held in my single-parent led household. We have a whole other set of jacked up values.

I too am grateful for the beautiful examples of long-term commitment in my family, but it took me a while to realize that fear of divorce (often purely financial fear or because they don't want kids to hate them) is not a value in itself.

One or two of those long-term (30+ years) marriages in my family only came about because of fear of the bride's mama or daddy and a dead rabbit. Not saying if this is good or bad, but I'd bet there are a lot of those "successful families" in non-black homes (as well as quiet abortions to avoid said shotgun wedding in the first place).

Am I totally misinterpreting that last statement, or do you believe that people not getting divorced automatically means they have these proper values?

[jeffreda30238]

I am a single mom, and there is nothing I can read that can feed me that single parent households are decreasing. I don't believe it. Granted I believe they are INCREASING because women are having children young, and are probably not being brought up in 2 parent households themselves. The men fathering these children are not being taught to be men and take responsibility. Everyone has to be held accountable. I am with Merin, if there is anything that has the potential to empower my black community, as long as it does more good than harm, I am all for it. Well said Merin!

[bizchick86]

What you believe and what is true are not always the same, jeffreda.
All the men in my family may be child abusers, and because of that, I may think all black men abuse children. But I would be making a generalization off of my personal experience.

When it comes to discussions about our people, we cannot just think about what's in our immediate environment and count that as the sole truth. You can deny the facts that have been accumulated over the past twenty years and choose to focus on what you think is the case, but to find a solution takes both thinking on multiple levels and drawing from actual evidence. Otherwise we'll be spinning our wheels blaming black women when that has not shown to cause the issues we are facing.

Of course, anything that can improve us should be explored. But to treat an issue as fundamental when it has not shown to be will move us forward very little. If anything black single motherhood is a symptom of other issues, but you don't just treat a symptom do you, you try and treat the cause.

Originally Posted by jeffreda30238

I am a single mom, and there is nothing I can read that can feed me that single parent households are decreasing. I don't believe it. Granted I believe they are INCREASING because women are having children young, and are probably not being brought up in 2 parent households themselves. The men fathering these children are not being taught to be men and take responsibility. Everyone has to be held accountable. I am with Merin, if there is anything that has the potential to empower my black community, as long as it does more good than harm, I am all for it. Well said Merin!

[jeffreda30238]

Originally Posted by bizchick86

What you believe and what is true are not always the same, jeffreda.
All the men in my family may be child abusers, and because of that, I may think all black men abuse children. But I would be making a generalization off of my personal experience.

When it comes to discussions about our people, we cannot just think about what's in our immediate environment and count that as the sole truth. You can deny the facts that have been accumulated over the past twenty years and choose to focus on what you think is the case, but to find a solution takes both thinking on multiple levels and drawing from actual evidence. Otherwise we'll be spinning our wheels blaming black women when that has not shown to cause the issues we are facing.

Of course, anything that can improve us should be explored. But to treat an issue as fundamental when it has not shown to be will move us forward very little. If anything black single motherhood is a symptom of other issues, but you don't just treat a symptom do you, you try and treat the cause.

Well if that is the case, would you mind pasting the link where you obtained your information from? If you make that statement and it is valid, I would like to see where you got your information from and if you got it from a reliable source. I have worked with single mothers and have found out differently, so I will believe what I would like based on what I have seen and worked with, but if you have better info then I am all for better statistics.

[naomisday]

cbreeze,

No, I didn't mean that....there are Single Parents Male and Female raising
children....with values and doing so against the odds....

But there is something to be said about being married and staying married and truly being
in love and having kids after you are married...I know it is an old-fashioned concept.........

There are horrible families---2 parent and Single Parent....but it is hurting our community over-all
the lack of fathers in the home---Just my opinion...

Values can be taught regardless of the family type---and need to be.....

[jeffreda30238]

Originally Posted by naomisday

cbreeze,

No, I didn't mean that....there are Single Parents Male and Female raising
children....with values and doing so against the odds....

But there is something to be said about being married and staying married and truly being
in love and having kids after you are married...I know it is an old-fashioned concept.........

There are horrible families---2 parent and Single Parent....but it is hurting our community over-all
the lack of fathers in the home---Just my opinion...

Values can be taught regardless of the family type---and need to be.....

I totally agree, you are absolutely right