Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Black In America: Teenage Pregnancy

Let's continue with the series: Black in America. This time with the influx of unwed mothers. Another hot button topic. Since for the first time in 15 years, teenage pregnancies have increased according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. And we know when there is a cold in America, black people get pneumonia. Such is the case with this situation, unwed black mothers are more prevalent.

So I got to watch each of the panel's task such Bishop T.D. Jakes, Marrianne Malveaux, Ed Gordon (who launched Daddy's Promise website), Cornel West and Hill Harper (wrote the NY Times Bestseller, letter to a young sister). I've got to say this particular panel brought it. So big ups to them.

The underlying theme about why the trend of single parenthood is a lack of self worth. Some girls just feel a baby will bring them love they never had or trap the guy they've being lusting for to love them. Most of them know there is a sacrifice philosophically to pay for making such decisions but I seriously doubt they think about it practically. Such as a quick way to get in the poverty status with a newborn and little education and support system.

Then the vicious cycle begins and what Ed Gordon said that I loved was putting the responsibility back to the fathers to be there for their daughters, tell them you love them regardless of what happened to between their relationship with the girls' mothers. It is an epidemic of silent or disappearing fathers in the black communities. So yes, the fathers should take the responsibility but I feel the daughters should also get to the point of a self-worth for their lives even if their fathers were not present.

Tags: Teenage pregnancy