Affirming Black Fathers
By K.C. Burton
 In characterizing black fathers, indeed most black men, American societal influencers and the pervasive media outlets that serve as communication channels portray black fathers through distortions and untruths. They are mostly projected to the minds of most Americans as street corner thugs and hustlers or grandfathers that are well past the point of usefulness in adding value and structure to the lives of the young fathers.
In other instances black men and fathers are thought of as the profane or vulgar images made widespread through the dominant programming of comics and gyrating flesh music videos popularized through BET television and various movies. The pervasive modern image of the American black man and father is of men who are humorous yet hapless, hurtful and harmful.
Leaders, both black and white, stereotype them as extremely needy. Black fathers are made synonymous to all black men who struggle the most with unemployment and social pathologies. Some leaders characterize them as parasites seeking to extract all they can from a caring society without contributing anything of value to it. Others insist that black fathers are unfairly targeted and suppressed victims of a society dominated by persons who care nothing for them at all.
Truthfully, black fathers are highly driven toward achievement. An affect of the black holocaust of slavery in America is that black fathers continue to strive to restore themselves as the dignified family and community leaders their forefathers had been in Africa before being surreptitiously separated from their families, countries and culture.
The particular criticism of young black fathers about their pathological interest in brand-name items and other symbols of buying power while their mates and children have unmet needs, should just as well be viewed as an effort by them to show their mates, children and community that they are capable of providing for them. Their interest in fathering children out of wedlock could be viewed as their effort to demonstrate a personal belief in their worthiness of reproduction without regard to convention. These are values to which we all can identify. And black fathers represent achievement and high values in countless other ways.
Black fathers attending PTA meetings and who otherwise support their children's school experiences are not reflected by the distorting influencers and media. Working black fathers are also rarely represented, although that is who most black fathers are or want to be. Rare too are images of black fathers in faith communities, as middle-class individuals, as higher education students, as writers, as "soccer dads", as chefs, as professionals, as community leaders and organizers and most importantly, as leaders and providers of intact families or otherwise positively involved in the raising of their children.
This is really who most black fathers are and whom Black Fatherhood celebrates and affirms. Our initial efforts and commitment will focus on getting the entire black community first, and then everyone else to join us in this celebration, assistance to and affirmation of black fathers.
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