Daddy's Here.

Reclaiming our black fathers

As author Gloria Wade-Gayles so eloquently highlights in, Father Songs: Testimonies by African-American Sons and Daughters (Beacon Press, 1998), "the realities of black fatherhood in (the Unites States) have long been obscured by negative stereotypes and that abound in the media and political rhetoric." Demoralizing myths and sweeping generalizations about the black male reign dominant within American culture. Jennifer F. Hamer's book What It Means to be Daddy (Columbia University Press, 2001) supports Wade-Gayles' position, highlighting that the role of black men as fathers is unjustly based upon value systems superimposed on the African American family structure. Today, African American males are boldly stating what has been known in African communities for centuries--fathers matter!

Children, especially young boys need positive role models who provide the gentle, yet critically important support to help them transition from boyhood into manhood.

Aspiring and firmly established African American authors have brought to the forefront the important roles that African American fathers play in the upbringing of their children. The love that only a father can bring to a child and to the family unit is the subject of Parry A. Brown's The Shirt Off His Back (Villard Books, 2001) and Javaka Steptoe's In Daddy's Arms I am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers (Lee & Low Books, 1997). Colorful and captivating illustrations compliment the latter, a powerful anthology of poems as abstract tributes to black fathers. His illustrations are poignant reminders of the beautiful spectrum of hues among African Americans. Likewise, in Father Songs, Wade-Gayles offers a tribute to black fathers through essays of love and admiration, from sons and daughters who recognize and salute the significant role fathers have played in their successful migration from child to adult.