Be a Father to Your Child Real Talk from Black Men on Family, Love, and Fatherhood

by Silver, April R.

• ISBN13: 9781593761929
• ISBN10: 1593761929
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-07-01
• Publisher: Soft Skull

Summary

How do young black fathers relate to their children, as well as to their own fathers? How do they see — and play — their roles in both family and community? These are some of the big questions this timely, accessible book addresses. Written by both popular commentators and those who have experienced the issues firsthand, Be a Father to Your Child begins with a frank discussion of how family formation has changed since the 1960s, especially for communities of color. Individual selections then flesh out historical, sociological, and cultural contexts, examining the impact of welfare, child support, criminal justice, and employment policies on young men of color. In addition to this analytical material, the book presents more personal, anecdotal pieces — including poems and lyrics, short stories, and interviews — that form a powerful composite portrait of the challenges facing modern communities of color, and how to overcome them.

Author Biography

April R. Silver is a seasoned cultural arts advocate, published writer, editor, and founder and CEO of AKILA WORKSONGS. She is editor of Be a Father to Your Child, a work that HuffPost Black Voices cites as a “powerful and groundbreaking anthology.” A native New Yorker, Silver lives and works in Brooklyn.

Table of Contents

Dedication / Opening Meditation	p. ix
Shout Outs	p. xi
Introduction	p. xv
The Set Up
To Be Men First, Then Fathers: Realizing Progressive Black Masculinities: An Introduction	p. 3
An Interview with Davey D.	p. 11
Side A
Freestyle Fatherhood	p. 26
What Is a Man?	p. 32
Baba	p. 38
Work and Travel	p. 45
Love, Lessons, Learning, and Leadership	p. 54
From Education to Get Money: The Challenge of Parenting in and Beyond the Hip-Hop Generation	p. 62
What Kind of Place is This?: A Black Father Raising His Sons in White Suburbia	p. 70
A Moment of Clarity	p. 78
Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Dad in My Subconscious	p. 84
The "Pursuit" of Meaning	p. 90
An Interview with Talib Kweli	p. 98
Side B
My Son's Imaginary Friend	p. 105
The Black Hair Matrix: How Jada Pinkett-Smith Saved My Daughter's Self-Esteem	p. 111
Down the Aisle, Walkin' The Walk	p. 118
Poems	p. 124
Fatherless Child (29 Years Later)
Our Father
Your Son
Truth and Reconciliation	p. 130
Do the Sons Bear the Sins of the Father?	p. 138
G-Daddy: A Father's Rage; A Grandfather's Delight	p. 145
Who's The Man?	p. 152
An Interview with Rhymefest	p. 160
Because Of My Father ...	p. 166
The Old Man	p. 174
About the Contributors	p. 182
Books for Further Reading	p. 193
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.