Blacks struggle with 72 percent unwed mothers rate

AP ^

[roses of sharon]

***

The black community's 72 percent rate eclipses that of most other groups: 17 percent of Asians, 29 percent of whites, 53 percent of Hispanics and 66 percent of Native Americans were born to unwed mothers in 2008, the most recent year for which government figures are available. The rate for the overall U.S. population was 41 percent.

This issue entered the public consciousness in 1965, when a now famous government report by future senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan described a "tangle of pathology" among blacks that fed a 24 percent black "illegitimacy" rate. The white rate then was 4 percent.

Many accused Moynihan, who was white, of "blaming the victim:" of saying that black behavior, not racism, was the main cause of black problems. That dynamic persists. Most talk about the 72 percent has come from conservative circles; when influential blacks like Bill Cosby have spoken out about it, they have been all but shouted down by liberals saying that a lack of equal education and opportunity are the true root of the problem.

Even in black churches, "nobody talks about it," Carroll says. "It's like some big secret."

***

There are simple arguments for why so many black women have children without marriage.

The legacy of segregation, the logic goes, means blacks are more likely to attend inferior schools. This creates a high proportion of blacks unprepared to compete for jobs in today's economy, where middle-class industrial work for unskilled laborers has largely disappeared.

The drug epidemic sent disproportionate numbers of black men to prison, and crushed the job opportunities for those who served their time. Women don't want to marry men who can't provide for their families, and welfare laws created a financial incentive for poor mothers to stay single.

***

[roses of sharon]

Good ideas...

[MBB1984]

Sorry, I don’t trust the liberal “Atlantic” on anything.

[LibLieSlayer]

Since BEFORE johnson tried to build his “Great Society”, same as it ever was.

LLS

[LibLieSlayer]

This is the result of diverstity, unbridled by traditional America Family Values.

LLS

[SC_Pete]

Exactly. And the DemonRat Party yanked them down. Republicans need to go to the ministers and preachers and work with the churches to improve education in the inner cities. Education vouchers is something they would welcome.

There’s the wedge issue.

[LibLieSlayer]

White unwed mothers are seeing a huge increase in having black babies out of wedlock.

LLS

[sodpoodle]

As a result, fatherless male children have no role models and fatherless females follow their mothers’ ritual.

All of these children grow up believing that the Government is their benefactor and socialism is reborn in every generation; to thrive in perpetuity.

The odds are overwhelming.

[wagglebee]

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[Art in Idaho]

Thank you, Johnson’s Great Society. Broke the back of the Black Family and it crept out to everyone else. Thank you, Sexual Revolution. Now every family has a slut in the closet.

I was just going to almost post the same thing. I was thinking 3 generations of welfare thanks to Johnson's Great Society black vote getting scheme + Thank You Bill Clinton. You know, everyone was initially shocked with the Monica thing. . then it became a joke. You don't think attitudes and cultural shifts come from the top down? You betcha' they do.

As an aside, seems I'm seeing more interracial couples recently. Is this "cool" now since Obama? Any stats on this?

[roses of sharon]

I know, and it is crazy for Conservatives not to talk about it, especially social conservatives.

Because it is what drove this nation towards the Nannie State...to Socialism, Marxism, Comunisum, less freedom, more rules and regs, which leads dangerous men being elected to the Congress and the Presidency.

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” — C.S. Lewis

[LightningStriker2010]

Well, most of the media is liberal. I will look for the actual statistics. It is discussed in this article:

http://www.blacknews.com/news/thora_institute101.shtml

[roses of sharon]

Another good idea!

[LightningStriker2010]

White unwed mothers are also seeing an increase in having white babies our of wedlock.

[Fletcher J]

My wife and I are struggling to find a way to send our son to the local public university (it’s not an expensive one at all). He’s always been a good student, and has kept his nose clean and to the grindstone.

Meanwhile, at a college informational meeting, it was casually mentioned that if a highschool girl has a baby, then she is considered “independent” for purposes of the FAFSA... That means when she fills out the FAFSA, she can list her own income, rather than her parent’s income (like my son will have to do). Result? Teenage moms end up with a free ride to college. No one really believes that a teenage mom is “independent” - it’s just a freebee from Uncle Sam.

I don’t want to punish unwed mothers, but this isn’t a fair or even outcome - it’s a reward for getting knocked up early enough to give birth by Senior year. Yet another unintended consequence of our crazy government in action.

[Altura Ct.]

This issue entered the public consciousness in 1965, when a now famous government report by future senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan described a "tangle of pathology" among blacks that fed a 24 percent black "illegitimacy" rate. The white rate then was 4 percent.

This is where the patented response goes something like 'Yeah, BUT slavery, Jim Crow, evil whites, seperation of church and state and Leave it to Beaver'.

[krb]

but what can be done?

Not a danged thing. The only thing that is going to change this is a total collapse of our system, and prayers that whoever rebuilds does a better job next time.

[RWGinger]

Until we stop rewarding every additional birth for an unwed mother ( if any race or ethnicity) we won’t see much drop.

As another poster on this thread pointed out a Mother has 100% control over whether she gets pregnant or not. Birth control information and means is given to every single mother welfare recepient. They make the choice to not use and we, the taxpayer, pays.

The indignation of the black women quoted in that article sickened me. Their approach was why should they be denied motherhood simply because a man wasn’t around.
If you can afford it screw away but do NOT have kids we pay for.

[crusty old prospector]

Sounds like there is too much struggling going on. This is the equivalent to the anchor baby.

[xtinct]

tubes tied after the birth of any child born to an unwed mother regardless of race is the ONLY solution

then they should be forced to finish high school and either get a job or be enrolled in a junior college

specifically told that the first offense, drugs, alcohol, etc. will cause them to lose their child permanently

[pieceofthepuzzle]

“It is sickening that for 40 years running these American children are being brought up under such horrific crime, education, and political circumstances.”

Absolutely!! And, to skirt around this because of the political correctness issue is the worst kind of racism. Tell me Jesse, tell me Barack, tell me Oprah, tell me Van Jones, why is this happening, and what have you been doing to change it? Whose fault is it? How do you blame this on the rest of society?