Black Fatherhood: Trials & Tribulations, Testimony & Triumph

Mass media and popular culture bombards us with so many negative, stereotypical portrayals of "the irresponsible Black man", the missing "Baby Daddy", the "Deadbeat Dad", the absentee father, the incarcerated Black male, the drug addicted Black male, etc. Does art imitate life, in regards to Black men? Seemingly, an endless number of Black men are "absent". They are absent from their families, their homes and their communities. With so many Black men missing from their family, their home, their communities, is there any wonder why the community of Black America is in such a state of disarray? In the face of such harrowing, negative statistics, there are scores of Black men who have taken the responsibility of fatherhood head on. We often overlook the men and fathers who are present, active, and hands-on in their children's lives. The active, present, accountable Black father, the role model, the leader, also deserves a chance to be documented, portrayed and highlighted. He is not an anomaly! There are definitely two sides to the fatherhood coin.