ABSTRACT
This chapter is dedicated to those African American men who are all too often ignored, overlooked, minimized and/or marginalized in both the popular and educational literature in discussions of fathers and fatherhood. Namely, those fathers of African descent who remain with their families through the hard times, those fathers who participate in the rearing of their children and work to maintain relationships with the mothers of their children, those who toil daily to help feed and clothe and provide shelter to their families are the focus of this chapter. As Staples (1986) wrote: “Rarely are we exposed to his more prosaic role as worker, husband, father and American citizen” (p. 1). These men face the racism, oppression, barriers, obstacles, and situations faced by men of African descent who reside in the United States, but for whatever reasons, they were able to or chose to stay with their families. Interestingly, as noted earlier, this population is routinely ignored in discussions of Black fathers, yet there is much to learn from them and about them. One can argue that if we are serious about understanding how to keep Black fathers connected with their families and their communities, it is likely this population of involved African American fathers has some (many?) answers. This chapter presents a review of relevant history pertaining to issues and barriers that negatively impact on Black fathers and interfere with meaningful interaction with children and families. Next, we address research that focuses on Black men who are involved with their children. Finally, men who were significant in my personal development (my father, my maternal grandfather, and some of my uncles)
Michael E. Connor Emeritus, California State University, Long Beach
are offered as models in discussing Black men who are (were) present in the lives of their children and in the mothers of those children.
