How to raise black boys - Letters To The Editors

Ebony, Dec, 2001 by Roland C. Warren

I was delighted to be interviewed for the article, "How to Raise Black Boys" (Aug. 2001). As a father of two teenage boys, this issue concerns me on a very personal level. Unfortunately, however, while the advice provided to parents in the article was of some value, EBONY missed a great opportunity to explore the most relevant and important barrier to the success of our Black boys and Black young men.

The biggest threat to our sons is not racial profiling, or even racism for that matter. If we could wave a "magic nightstick" and make these obstacles disappear, any of our Black boys would still face difficult futures. In my view, the biggest threat to Black boys, and to all Black children, is the four-decades-long mass exodus of Black men from their families. As I was quoted in the article, "nearly 7 out of 10 Black children are growing up in homes where their fathers do not reside." The Black father absence rate is the highest in the country and is nearly three times as high as White fathers and twice as high as Hispanic fathers.

If we are serious about raising the best possible Black boys and Black girls, it is clear what we must do. We must commit ourselves to rebuilding our families, and we must reverse the trend of disappearing dads. It will be hard work, but it must be done because the well-being of millions of Black children is at stake.

ROLAND C. WARREN
Gaithersburg, Md.