ABSTRACT
When Barack Obama was installed as the 43rd President of the United States in January 2009, a wave of emotion swept across this nation, and especially in Black America. Tired of the constant negative messages about absentee Black fathers and single-parent homes in the African American community, the Obama family represented what many African Americans have known all along: that there are responsible and present fathers in the African American community. The impact of fathers should not be underestimated. Fathers play an important role in the cognitive and emotional development of children, including language development and emotional regulation (Cabrera, Shannon, & Tamis-LeMonda, 2007). The absence of fathers can negatively impact children in terms of locus of control, social sensitivity, and self-worth (Balcom, 1998; Fry, 1983). A recent national survey found that the absence of fathers is associated with reduced well-being, worse health, and lower academic achievement (DeBell, 2008). This survey also found that a disproportionate number of African American children in Grades K through 12 were living without their fathers (69%) compared to Hispanic students (39%) and White students (28%).
