Brody File producer Robin Mazyck here with this guest blog.
Sen. Barack Obama sat down with David Brody earlier this week and had a conversation about the black family.
They talked about absentee fathers in the black community.
Watch above, read below:
Obama: I think it's a complicated issue. Some of it has to do with history -- the effects of slavery, the problems of families being torn apart. There's a strong economic component to it. You had much more stable African-American families in the 50s and 60s when blue collar workers were able to get jobs that supported a family. Many of those jobs have vanished from the community.
And since educational achievement hasn't caught up for many of those same communities, it means you've got huge numbers of unemployed African-American men. But I also think two other factors played a role.
There's no doubt the welfare laws, the way they were structured didn't do a service to the community in terms of keeping families together. There was a time when social workers wouldn't provide welfare if there was a man in the house, and so that probably wasn't a useful way to structure those programs. And there was an increase in tolerance in children out of wedlock that some of the social norms broke down. So those are all a combination of factors. And I think you're not going to have a simple solution to these problems.
I think the most important things that we can do is strengthen the economy so that African-American men are bigger participant in the workforce. We have to make sure that we are providing strong, nurturing environments for African-American children, so that they're growing up with stability and are likely to make better choices, less likely to engage in teenage sexual activity, less likely for the young girls to be teen parents. But we've also got to instill some values of responsibility in our young people as they are growing up. And that is something that I can hopefully be a part of as President.
Obama admits that this is a difficult issue that will require a number of solutions to repair fractured families in our country. Obama says the answers will come from community outreach, the church -- and yes he says government will play a role.
I think what's important to note here is that Obama understands. He grew up in a single parent home and like many in the African-American community; his family was an extended one that included grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
Right now, countless numbers of single mothers across the country are working their hearts out trying to raise successful black men. Some have questioned whether this can be done, but they are trying.
There's no easy way to solve these problems. But strides are being made every day.
I recently profiled an organization called Real Men Cook. The purpose of the group is to strengthen the black family through volunteer efforts by and from black men from all walks of life. Click here to watch my story.
There are hundreds and hundreds of organizations all across the country trying to make a difference. For example, the five predominately African-American fraternities are a vital force in the black community. They were founded on Christian principals, and they take those values to their communities to mentor young boys and teens to help them become productive members in society. There's also the 100 Black Men of America. And don't forget about the countless number of church programs that are stepping up to the plate and filling the gap.
I am encouraged.