Poverty and Family Structure

            Tons of studies have shown that poverty is the greatest cause of developmental problems in children. Children who grow up poor are far more likely to do poorly in school, to run away from home, and to commit suicide. As adults they are far more likely to abuse drugs, commit crimes, and go to prison.

            Other studies have shown that the United States has the world’s lowest rate of children living with both parents. That rate is 69%, compared to China where the rate is 97% and in neighboring Canada where it is 85%. Racial differences are just as startling: only 39% of African-American children live with both parents, compared to 74% for white households. It is not racist to point this out; this unfortunate reality is a serious problem for the black community.

            The link between poverty and family structure is undeniable. Roughly half of all families headed by single mothers are likely to be poor, while 10% of families headed by both parents are not.

            One would think that Black Lives Matter, a social movement advocating racial justice would care about that. Strangely, its mission statement on this issue goes in the opposite direction.

            At its launch in 2012, the founders of Black Lives Matter made no secret of their Marxist ideology and their national goal of removing our system of democracy and capitalism and replacing it with a totalitarian communist state. But since the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson and especially after the brutal murder of George Floyd and the violent protests that it engendered, BLM’s focus has been on building a network of local chapters of like-minded organizations opposing police violence against black people.

            To broaden its appeal, Black Lives Matter is stressing inclusivity by displaying empathy for all blacks who suffer from discrimination based on sex or gender identity, age, religion, immigration status, or what it calls “the tight grip of heteronormative thinking,” otherwise known as the domination of our culture by straight white males.

            But when it comes to problems associated with single-parent homes, it doesn’t place the blame on the deterioration of family values. Instead it seeks to “dismantle patriarchal practice,” and identifies the problem as caused by “Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirements.” In other words, it minimizes the importance of having a father in the home. Instead, it prefers “extended families and ‘villages’ that collectively care for one another, especially our children…” Where have we heard that before?

            On another subject, it is sad that some of us were not able to celebrate the 4^th of July as we have in the past. Few fireworks or parades, no family barbecue. But one person was not unhappy with that. Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback who made his mark kneeling during or national anthem, called the celebrations commemorating the nation’s founding “a celebration of white supremacy.” I wonder what football fans in New England would have thought if the Patriots had picked up Kaepernick to replace Tom Brady. Better still, would Colin have insisted that the Patriots change the team name?