Denzel Washington
I recently heard a story from famous hollywood actor Denzel Washington. He described his upbringing and how he grew up with several friends in his neighborhood. They grew up together and did everything together. They had many things in common except…he was the only one of his 5 closest friends that had a father at home.
He goes on to describe what a difference this made. He says whenever they got in trouble, his father would correct him and show him the right direction to take. His friends, unknown to him at the time, did not get the same adjustment. At the age of 18, he goes to college and sadly, all his other friends ended up in jail or dead, at around the same time period. What made the difference? A father in the home.
Fathers Matter.
Allen West Jr.
I then listened to Allen West, a former congressman and popular commentator in a speech at a university. He was asked a question and in his response said the following; “When I was growing up in the 60s, 75% of African American homes had fathers. Now that figure is at 24%”. He goes on to describe the difference his own father made in his life and why the real pandemic we’re faced with is a shortage and lack of fathers.
Fathers Matter.
Why was there such a drastic shift over the last 40 years?
Government policies. Several policies were enacted that all but encouraged women to have children out of wedlock and incentivized (gave more money) to homes where there was no adult male present. While the issue of social welfare was somewhat solved, the issue of fatherlessness emerged and is now causing more problems than we care to admit.
Mass Incarceration. Starting with the 70s through the 90s, many African Americans, mostly males, were imprisoned to keep them off the streets. The prison system became an extension of the welfare system. Prisons were privatized and became more of a business than a correctional facility. Businesses run for profit and therefore the more traffic you have, the better off you are. Numbers of incarcerated people grew from a little more than 200,000 in 1970 to well over 2 million today. Around 40% of these are African Americans.
Many of the men who end up in prison for frivolous sentences are from homes without fathers. It’s been found that children born into fatherless homes are many times more likely to end up in gangs, crime, or abject poverty than those born into a home with both parents present (see infographic above).
According to 72.2 % of the U.S. population, fatherlessness is the most significant family or social problem facing America. – fathers.com
Fathers Matter.
This is not to fault the single moms. They do their best and many times the reason the child is off getting in trouble is because the mom is working a second job to make ends meet.
Every year, I have a hard time finding a Mothers’ Day card – because I wait till the last minute – yet Fathers’ Day cards never run out, not even half are sold each year. There’s something wrong with that picture!
We’re changing the narrative. I am deeply devoted to being a good father. I have a good one and therefore I’m blessed to know the value of fatherhood. My job now is to help end this pandemic.
We need to empower and embolden fathers. God is a Father and in His wisdom set in motion a system in which we cannot fulfill our destiny without fully coming to terms with fatherhood.
We’re called to be fathers that demonstrate and reveal the nature of father God to our children. We need the grace of God to sufficiently enrich our lives so we can be a counter cultural force that changes the narrative.
Fathers teach. Fathers correct. Fathers adjust. Fathers empower. Fathers shape. Fathers give identity. Yes, moms can do it too but there are unique things God gives to each parent and a child needs both.
Fathers Matter. Let’s restore honor on this all important institution and see how God reverses the tide of society.
Fathers Matter is going to be a movement that seeks to empower fathers and restore honor to the institution of fatherhood. Our wives need it. Our children desperately need it. Stay tuned for details…
You cannot receive from that which you do not honor. As we honor fathers AND as fathers strive to live honorable lives, let the grace of God deeply enrich us all in our pursuit of our Heavenly Father.
Sources of Information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_family_structure https://ifstudies.org/blog/black-dads-matter http://fathers.com/statistics-and-research/the-extent-of-fatherlessness/ https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/135704/NFIFatherAbsenceInfoGraphic071118.pdf
Nelson Masinde 