by Karl B. Rodney
As we celebrate and pay tribute to Black fathers, it is important for us to take a view of a Black father in raising his children in a way to face this world where they will encounter obstacles of racism, and to develop the mechanism and strategy to deal with and overcome this malady of society.
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Black fathers are fully aware of the issues that have impacted us as a people, and in many instances want to protect their children from those circumstances and work to bring about a realization of a better world for their children. But sometimes that task is difficult and has to be brought to a realism with the children. He has to work to maintain his status and work even harder to provide hope for his children and for a better world. He has to care and comfort his children when they have experienced racism outside of the family and try to explain to them what the consequences are and how they may want to handle the situation for their own protection and for their own survival, and for their own striving.
So, the role of the father becomes one of protecting, one of educating, one of inspiring and one of motivating his children to face and be prepared for a world that is waiting on them with all of its problems, challenges and yes, discrimination. So the real impact of fathers, and as we pay tribute to them on Father’s Day, goes beyond just a greeting card, a necktie or some gift. It goes to celebrating the enduring legacy and the power he brings to the relationship and how he shapes the lives of sons and daughters and that of a community, and at the same time put to rest the negative stereotype that society would like to place on Black fathers as being missing.
The National Institute of Health in its study reports that the majority of Black fathers live with their children and that Black fathers are more likely to feed, bathe, dress, and play with their children on a regular daily basis than their white counterparts, and that they are involved in community activities with their children.
We must acknowledge the role of Black fathers, the strength they bring to a community and a task that they have to fulfill facing tremendous obstacles. They have to remain as role models, protectors, defenders and inspirers. Black fathers cannot give up, they must keep fighting those issues that impact his life and that of his family and he must continue to protect and provide and build a strong bond between himself and family, in spite of the pressures that the system has imposed on him as a Black man and on the family as a Black family, and needs to talk the talk and walk the walk that will bring progress to his children and to the community.
So, let us pay tribute to these men of valor, these fabulous fathers who have been the rock of the family and the community, and pay special tribute to them and all that they have done – it is a huge task and it’s a task that we need to recognize and encourage, support and be grateful for on Father’s Day.
Happy Father’s Day
