Social skeptics and critics of the Black family publicly have their field day reporting to society the dilemmas and dysfunctions of the Black family. They publish disheartening statistics pertaining to the hardships and lifestyles of single Black women and the government-gathered data of so-called felonious Black men and fathers, in addition to the degrading statistics of Black children where education, unemployment, and law enforcement of concerned.

This imaging of Black America's families is just that, an image drawn by elitist whites and Blacks who want to feel better about themselves and to minimize the guilt in the minds of white families currently on the brink of destruction.

So Black People Speak (BPS) decided to go to the roots Black America and ask the questions that will put everything in its proper perspective where Black family morals and practices are concerned. Again, the study refutes all studies conducted by white scholars and furthermore cast doubt on their pessimistic socially-created images of Black families. We asked a group of 166 Black Americans the following questions:

What is your marital status?

Married..............43.42%
Single...............30.26%
Divorced.............14.47%
Separated.............6.58%
Widowed/widower.......0.00%
Cohabitating..........5.26%

Despite the gloomy myth that the Black family does not exist in its traditional form, BPS found that the majority (43%) of Black Americans polled are married and still uphold the traditional family structure. In second at (30%) comes the single family households, which would consist of single Black women (a sector within the entire realm of the Black family structure), followed by divorcees (14%) and those cohabitating (5%), in which even in those latter numbers, reveal that Blacks overwhelmingly seek companionship and are not a disjointed people, as would white scholars would have people believe.

Black America should always stand strong on traditional family values and not allow the trends of society to influence them to break ties with family or try alternative family lifestyles. Black America has a close enough relationship with the Creator that they understand, and are led to the concept that man, woman, and child are first and foremost in life over the material things of society.

If you have children, how many do you have in all?

1...............30.36%
2...............32.14%
3...............16.07%
4 or more.......21.43%

The above question silences the lies being told about Blacks and their child bearing rates. White scholars and racist media would have people believe that Blacks (all Blacks because they tend to generalize), are nothing more than baby-having machines who have no control over their sexual urges or family planning abilities. The numbers above show different.

The majority of Blacks (at 62%) have either one or two children whereas 37% have 3 or more. This says a lot about how Blacks think toward their future and their family's future and does not spell neglect or incompetence. It says that Blacks will have babies as much as everyone else and on a regular level and at normal patterns.

However, the image that whites want to project to the country and world is that Black people have hundreds of kids and cannot take care of them, and that we do so just to drain the welfare system, and sadly, many ignorant Black people believe this lie and look down on their own people without gathering their own research and seeing things for what they really are.

Of your circle of friends, are more married or single?

Married...............50.00%
Single................42.11%
No answer..............7.89%

When asked about the poller's circle of friends and the people they frequent daily, more (50%) said their friends are married. Running close behind is a 42% single rate. These stats, coupled with the marriage stats above says that regardless of whether Blacks are married or not, they know more people who are than those do who are not. Once again, silencing the lies of white America and Black critics.

Do you believe marriage is better for a person or singleness is better?

Marriage...............61.33%
Singleness..............8.00%
No answer..............30.67%

An over whelming amount polled (61%) agree that marriage is better for people rather than singleness (8%). And many Black women and men still seek love, marriage, and structure. The going myth, however, is that Black men do not want to marry but that myth itself still stands to be proven in numbers.

We cannot allow white America and negative mainstream media forces dictate what we believe and why we believe it, but we must look into matters for ourselves and prove to ourselves and the world that Black America is not the unbalanced, unorganized stereotype whites attempt to portray us as.

Do you believe children should grow up with both parents, or it does not matter?

Both parents...............89.19%
Does not matter.............8.11%
No answer...................2.70%

Again, where family morals are concerned, Blacks overpoweringly believe that it is very important that children grow with both parents and not alone without fathers or mothers. This fact disannuls the lie that all Black women want to do is lay around and have babies for the sake of having babies, but they do seek a father for their children and realize that fathers are important. Unlike the feminist women's movement of the seventies that declared war on fathers, which in turn led to court rulings that basically barred men from the home.

Black America must not follow after the destructive family patterns of white America just because they may make it seem normal or accepted. We must continue to have faith in the gift that God has given to us as family.

Do you believe children without a father turn out as well as children with a father?

Yes they do...............30.26%
No, they do not...........53.95%
No answer.................15.79%

Blacks also realize that children need fathers (53% as opposed to 30%) and that there is definitely a correlation between having a father and not having one. Again, unlike the feminist movements of white America and their ideas for an all-woman society devoid of males and father figures, Black America stands strong on God-given character and must continue on this path to defeat any and all lifestyles contrary to what is ordained.

Do you believe in parental roles such as mother (woman) nurturer and father (man) provider?

Yes, it is important..............................61.11%
No, it does not matter who does what..............37.50%
No answer..........................................1.39%

The traditional family remains a solid concept in the minds of most Black Americans (61%) who believe it is important that the gender roles remain as God ordained; men as providers for the family and women as nurturers. Even though 37% believe otherwise - that it does not matter who does what - Black Americans believe and find it easier to deal in this life if tradition remained strong.

Did you grow with both mother and father?

Yes, I did...............50.00%
No, I did not............26.32%
At one point yes.........22.37%
No answer.................1.32%

Between those who at one point grew with a father (22%) and those who did grow with a father (50%), most Black families are or were two parent families, which says that over the years, Blacks have upheld the traditional family structure regardless of the lies spewed by scholars and cynics.

The 26% of those who did not grow with a father are a small portion of people who if asked, probably would agree that a traditional two-parent family would have made a difference in their lives.

Answer to the best of your knowledge the most important of the statements below. (choose two)

Girls need a father.....................20.00%
Boys need a father......................24.00%
Fathers need jobs.......................14.40%
Mothers need an education................5.60%
Parents should marry....................19.20%
Mothers should be mothers...............12.00%
No answer................................4.80%

From the choices above, more Blacks (24%) believe that boys need a father more than anything else pertaining to the Black family. A close 20% believe that girls need fathers, and 19% believe parents should marry. These three results alone testify to the fact that Blacks steadfastly believe in the family structure and that it works if practiced. The remaining results speak for themselves and are relevant to this study in its own right.

Conclusion
Overall, the Black family is strong despite the lies and negative images of the mainstream media and institutional scholars. The Black family is a union upheld in the traditions of God-given characteristics regardless of the trends of today's society.

More Blacks are married and believe that a strong family structure is important for raising children, thus the ghetto image of Black families and women are obsolete in the light of Black People Speaks poll results. As always and before, BPS have proven white scholars wrong in their interpretation and depiction of the Black family.

We at BPS encourage Black America to remain strong in their belief of the family and to encourage their children to grow with family values. We encourage Black America to ignore the dismal results of falsified studies by whites that are published more for the destruction and discouragement of the Black family than for the benefit of it.

Please continue to support Black People Speak and its goal to inform the Black community of the truth about itself as opposed to the lies spread by white society about us. Always Stay Strong in mind and spirit.

© May 2007 Black People Speak