Posted on 03/25/2006 11:08:03 PM PST by Crackingham
I grew up in a time when two-parent families were still the norm, in both black and white America. Then, as an adult, I saw divorce become more commonplace, then almost a rite of passage. Today it would appear that many -- particularly in the black community -- have dispensed with marriage altogether.
But as a black woman, I have witnessed the outrage of girlfriends when the ex failed to show up for his weekend with the kids, and I've seen the disappointment of children who missed having a dad around. Having enjoyed a close relationship with my own father, I made a conscious decision that I wanted a husband, not a live-in boyfriend and not a "baby's daddy," when it came my time to mate and marry. My time never came. For years, I wondered why not. And then some 12-year-olds enlightened me.
"Marriage is for white people."
That's what one of my students told me some years back when I taught a career exploration class for sixth-graders at an elementary school in Southeast Washington. I was pleasantly surprised when the boys in the class stated that being a good father was a very important goal to them, more meaningful than making money or having a fancy title.
"That's wonderful!" I told my class. "I think I'll invite some couples in to talk about being married and rearing children."
"Oh, no," objected one student. "We're not interested in the part about marriage. Only about how to be good fathers."
And that's when the other boy chimed in, speaking as if the words left a nasty taste in his mouth: "Marriage is for white people."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Bush's fault, no doubt.
Was this part of the train-wreck the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan saw coming way back when?
Marriage is for people who are not half wits.
Racists at age 6. Geez.
GRADE 6. Oops.
Who taught these children to be bigots?
The author of this piece obviously has little understanding of the many benefits to the children of two parent families.
It is not so much racism but the fact that, in SW DC, maybe 80% or more of the children are born outside of marriage. Some of these children may know few or even no married black couples. How do kids in that environment learn about marriage? How do they know what to do in a marriage? That's why the problem will only get worse as more black children grow up without knowing how to get or stay married.
maybe this author needs to find a lonely white guy....she could start on this forum.
(she could do worse)
The article makes many good points. And yes it's clear, the same attitude toward marriage is coming to white America as well.
No, not 80%. In the entire US, the number is 70% black illegitimacy.
However, in DC alone (okay, maybe not SW DC), I recently heard that the number is 93%.
Not to be a jerk...
So, if my 6th grader said "Growing up as a bastard child is for black people"...Do you think my kid would be branded a racist???
And why not? After all the gubmint replaced a man with a check.
All of this just for 'White People'? Amazing. Haven't these AAs ever heard about Asiatics, Hispanics, etc.?
"The Great Society" - The 'gift' that just keeps giving.
Thank the Democrats and their "Ingrate Society" for this.
The damage that the Democrats and their relentless pursuit of a Euro-style, secular-socialist welfare state for America has done to this great country can NEVER be overstated.
And they are STILL pushing that agenda!
93% sounds right, I was making a conservative estimate with 80%, sad to say.
"Activists".
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