Barack Obama delivered an important Father’s Day message at the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago on Sunday. His call? Fathers need to step up and take responsibility for their children.
From his remarks:
“But if we are honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that what too many fathers also are is missing – missing from too many lives and too many homes. They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it.”
This is a vitally important message for Americans to hear. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) website:
In particular, this is a crisis among blacks. According to a 2003 House Ways and Mean Committee report, a stunning 68% of black children were born to unwed mothers. 7 in 10! Just read the facts above and calculate the damage this is doing to the black community.
There are a lot of people who will find some reason to be offended by Obama’s speech. He’s attacking the victims, they’ll say, or, rather more likely, they’ll dispute the statistics (or the slant) in an effort to advance a political agenda. The bottom line is that this is an important message for all Americans. A lot of intelligent people might loathe parts of the “family values” lobby, but this is one area where that crowd is right. Fathers are important. Intact families are important.
And this was an important message; one that he should continue to espouse to all Americans until men begin to accept responsibility for fatherhood. I urge you to read his speech and pass it on. From Obama:
“We need fathers to realize that responsibility does not end at conception. We need them to realize that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child – it’s the courage to raise one.”
