I recently received a genuine question from someone who was interested in the destabilization of the Black family and specifically, what might explain the disproportionate percentage of Black men who are incarcerated, unemployed, dropping out of school and so forth. This really isnt my area of expertise, and such questions generally make me wince. Not because I doubt the sincerity of the questioner, but because I dont want people to talk about Black families or Black women or men--at ALL--if that conversation is not grounded in a broader context. So as usual, I refused to answer in a way that pointed them to the vast research on supporting Black men (for example). Instead, I said this (in part): What explains it? Racial capitalism. Racist housing, employment and education policies. White greed and anti-Black racism. That is all. Lol. Just kidding. No, Im not. But I would recommend that framing this in terms of Black mens choices or worldview is like discovering sick and dying fish in a polluted river and asking why they ingested the toxins from the chemical plant upstream. Scrutinize the plant, first and foremost. Imperfect analogy aside, I dont really do research on Black men per se. I argue that we have to examine broader cultural-ideological and political-economic formations that impact the lives of Black families--women, men, girls and boys. One could start macro with Thomas Pikettys Capital in the 21st Century, lol, but then get to William Julius Wilsons More Than Just Race, which does speak specifically to the social and economic well-being of US Black men in particular. But I wouldnt encourage anyone to probe and pick at the fish before scrutinizing the toxins and those who knowingly poison the waters.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 20:27:50 +0000
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