A_Summary_of_Black_Essays

This paper is a summary of Chapters 1,2, 14 and 15 from the book, The Black Familv, 6th Edition, by Robert Staples. The book is a multifaceted collection of readings on trends and issues surrounding the African American family. In his book, Staples organizes articles which are based on both empirical data and library research. Staples introduces articles that describe and give reason for the patterns found in black families. He addresses issues in the African American community such as the Black male role, poverty, AIDS, and the health status of Blacks. Staples includes articles that are based on both empirical research as well as library research. This paper will also address my own thoughts and opinions on the topics presented in these chapters. In Part I, Chapter 1 there is a discussion on The Study of Black Families. In this Chapter, Staples includes an article by Daniel P. Moynihan from the widely known "Moynihan Report". Mr. Moynihan was a U.S. Senator from New York and author of The Negro Familv: The Case for National Action also known as the "The Moynihan Report." As referenced in the book, this article titled The Tangle of Pathology is a part of the wider report. The articles' theme is black family instability, economic failing and lack of educational attainment. I thought it interesting how Moynihan tied several federal programs or agencies to the status of Blacks at that time. He mentions for example both the Department of Labor and the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity the precursor to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In "The Tangle of Pathology," Moynihan linked rising rates of single motherhood, illegitimacy, divorce, unemployment, fatherlessness, academic failure and crime in African-American culture with welfare dependence. The report discusses the rising number of single mother black families in the black community that produced and maintained high levels of black poverty. The author provides several reasons for the cycle of poverty. The article points to the disparity in educational attainment. While Moynihan seems to tie poverty programs, it seems unlikely that today's trend is driven solely by 2 the existence of government assistance. It is speculative that programs were ever a major factor in this trend. For example, the cultural taboo against unwed motherhood has all but disappeared despite the efforts to fight early pregnancy. The article provides some strong empirical support for assessing the lasting effects of slavery, historic discrimination, unemployment, and poverty on black family instability. It referenced studies that found strong correlations between single-parent families and low educational achievement and high rates of delinquency and crime. It also predicted that the declining ratio of males to females in the black population generally would have detrimental consequences for black families. Even though the problem was defined many years ago, we have yet to identify a cohesive, effective strategy for undoing that "tangle of pathology." While the report was controversial in its time, I feel that the reports' intent is to promote a more effective, activist federal response to black economic deprivation and inequality. The second article in Chapter 1 is Sociocultural Factors in Black Family Transformation: Toward a Redefinition of Family Functions. The central thesis of the article is that policies, procedures and assumptions underlying the family, contributed to the disintegration of the black two parent family and led to an increase in families led by woman. In addition, these factors are related to the decline of other important institutions. The article takes the reader through a historical look at the black family in different forms from the 1800s to the 1900s. The article discusses theories that name slavery as the cause for the emergence of a matriarchal family structure among African Americans and the root ofthe deteriorated family structure. The author opines that much of the plight of the black middle class is tied to their inability to transfer their success on to their children as white families. That is, their class status is not transferred to their off spring. The author states that the issue of gender plays a significant role in this matter. 3 Some of the issues around gender pertain to the black woman marrying outside her social class and the marriage more likely ending in divorce and the role of the man in a society where black woman are more educated and earn more. In addition, black woman may have to deal with violence, drug and AIDS, circumstances that do not exist to the same extent in the white community. The author points out that black families aren't and have never been monolithic. There are many variations of the family model. I agree with the author when he concludes that society cannot determine with the current limited information, if these different models are good are bad. In Part II, Chapter 2 the author of Eugene Genovese in The Myth of the Absent Family employs historical accounts to refute this claim and provide ample evidence in the contrary. The prevalence of single-parent family structure has been attributed to matriarchy, a weak sense of family, and the emasculation of black men, but records of slave holders and historical accounts of slaves themselves reveal otherwise. Genovese states that "So well did the slaveholders understand the strength of these family ties that the more humane among them found it useful to argue against separations on the grounds of economic expediency by pointing out that the slave worked much better when kept together" (Genovese, pg. 29). He follows to cite evidence contrary such as several instances when slaveholders chose to take fmanciallosses in order to keep slave families together. Historical accounts of slaves themselves making demands for masters to purchase them along with their families while standing on the auction block further validate the essential importance of the African American family in history. The information in this article undermines the historical stance that theorists opine that the Black family's disregard for the importance ofthe family institution is the basis for the deterioration of the family structure today. In Part II, Chapter 2 the author Rosalyn Terborg-Penn in the article Women and Slavery in the African Diaspora, takes a broader approach to the study of the woman slave. The article looks more 4 globally and shows that woman slaves were not just slaves in the United States but enslaved in Africa as well. The article explores the perceptions about race and color; (2) the role of free women; (3) modified kinship structures; and (4) female resistance to slavery. The author points out how the free wives were involved both willingly and unwillingly in assimilating the slave woman in the "masters compound." Many times the relationship of the free and slave woman on a compound is studied from the aspect of the slave owner's wives treatment of the slave woman. Usually the relationship was much more complicated than just the mistress being cruel to the slave. I must admit to never considering the black woman's status and her role in her native African society. We study the suffering of black male slaves from Africa, through the Middle Passage and on to the shores of Maryland, however; the woman as a separate entity is not mentioned. There is no denial from this article of the disadvantages that black women suffered as a consequence of the social system advanced by the white man in their transatlantic slave trade. In Part IV, Chapter 15 Joseph W. Scott, the author of the article From Teenage Parenthood to Polygamy: Case Studies in Black Polygamous Family examines how legal wives and eleven consensual wives drifted into polygamous (man-sharing) relationships. The study also examines how the declining sex ratio may be influencing these and other demographic developments in the black communities across the United States. A case in point is the rising number of out-ofwedlock births among black teenagers and their subsequent drift into man-sharing arrangements due to the circumstances of the rating-dating-mating marketplace. This article is really an awakening for me on the impact of the imbalance of eligible Black males for the females in the marrying age range. This competition for males has exasperated the problems of low income, poor health and lack of education in the Black community. It is 5 unfortunate because of this sharing there is an increase in one parent households and an increase in teen pregnancy. The author interviewed several teenage young women from low social economic conditions about the conditions that led to their man sharing and pregnancy. Many of the young women the author interviewed suggested that they did not have any idea about the consequences of their actions. The stories were very similar; they all had a desire to leave their home situation. In conclusion, the author introduces the Developmental Task Theory that suggests that tasks arise as a certain stage in life and must be performed in a satisfactory manner. If the tasks are not perfonned in the correct steps then conditions for failure are set. Part IV, Chapter 15 Susan D. Cochran and Vicki M. Mays in their article Sociocultural Facets of the Black Gay Male Experience review literature on the topic of Black gay and bisexual men. Prior to the AIDS crisis the gay sexual issues were not studied. The spread of AIDS made the study necessary. It was assumed that Black gay men acted in the same way as their white counterpart. The theory that all gat men behave the same turns out not to be true. The behavior of Black gays versus White gays is very different. Aids data suggests that Black gay man may participate in more risking behavior. Both drug and alcohol abuse contributes to this risky behavior. Socialcultural factors playa large role in the behaviors of both groups. For example, the lack of visible Black gay males in the Black culture leads to an absence of role models and community programs directed at gay men. They also point out the struggle that some may have with their identity - are they Black fIrst or gay fIrst' It is clear that being Black and gay is double edge sword. Black gay and bisexual men are at a higher risk for HIV because they are black. Black gay men are closer than whites to the two areas of increased HIV infection - (1) foreign born Blacks and (2) IV drug users. Additionally, Black gay and bisexual males report being closely integrated into the gay community. This 6 makes them more at risk for HIV exposure. Finally, the broader gay community organizations that might push prevention and healthy choices fail to attract Blacks. In conclusion, I have summarized Chapters 1,2, 14 and 15 from the book, The Black Familv, 6th Edition, by Robert Staples. The book is a diverse collection of articles that track the African American family condition. While I agree with much of the material presented in these chapters, I feel that a lot has changed since the book was published in 1999. I would guess, whether good or bad some of the theories espoused in the book could be proven or dismissed based on the current state of the black community. Reference Staples, Robert. The Black Family: Essays and Studies (6th Edition) Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1999. 7