ABSTRACT
Stories about single mothers, deadbeat dads, and children who drop out of school and get caught up in gang activity dominate media representations of African-American families. Mothers, in particular, are pilloried for having children outside of marriage, for not offering enough supervision, and for not being good enough role models. Married black couples and black middle-class families are rarely in these narratives. Family and parenting practices vary more among the black immigrant couples, especially between families in rural areas and those who live in more westernized cities; however, there are a number of similarities among many African nations as well. Overall, one social identity rarely determined universal values, attitudes, or practices regarding parenting among study couples. American-born blacks, Caribbean immigrants, African immigrants, and whites had few practices that were universal either within or among groups.
