The Black Fatherhood Project 2013
Distributed by The Video Project, PO Box 411376, San Francisco, CA 94141-1376; 800-475-2638
Produced by Jordan Thierry
Directed by Jordan Thierry
DVD, color and b&w, 53 min. & 73 min. versions
Jr. High - General Adult
African Americans, Psychology, Sociology
Date Entered: 03/31/2015
Reviewed by Monique Threatt, Indiana University, Herman B Wells Library, Bloomington, INJordan Thierry’s feature documentary pays homage to fatherhood, and the plight of the black male. He notes the purpose of his film is “to give black fathers a voice, so that black men themselves could speak on the issues of fatherlessness in the black family experience….to also motivate close relatives, and friends to step up and take care of their kids.” Narrated by Thierry, he enlists the help of economists, fathers, historians, psychologists, and social workers to discuss the history and construct of the black family in Africa and the United States.
The filmmaker cherishes the presence of fathers in his family spanning seven generations, but also notes a profound absence of fathers among his black friends. Tracing its roots back to Africa, the adult black male is key to the survival and upbringing of young boys in the village. By contrast, upholding the same responsibilities as head of the black family in America proves difficult due to a succession of debilitating factors vis-à-vis slavery, Jim Crow laws, solo migration to the North, economic and social discrimination, military and institutional racism, drug use, and incarceration. These issues unquestionably contribute to the deterioration, deconstruction, and destruction of the black family as a traditional unit.
Still, beside every great man is a great woman. In spite of statistics to suggest that nearly 70 percent of black children in the United States live in single-parent homes, mostly headed by mothers or grandmothers, black families continue to adjust, adapt, and survive. Mothers manage to be marginally employed to raise families in the absence of fathers. For those fathers who are able to be a constant presence in child-rearing, they are loving and devoted to the family. Even a great deal of single fathers find ways to support their children from long-distances. Despite these positive efforts, the number of fatherless homes in the black community continues to rise.
In closing, scholars offer several solutions to mend the broken black family. These include returning to African traditions to raise a village, as well as being active in church and community affairs. Perhaps this is an idealistic view, but there is hope. It only takes one person to be a positive role model, and for each one to reach one to teach one. Speakers include: Dr. Wade Nobles (Psychologist, San Francisco State University), Harry Marr, Carlos Crutch, E. Barnie Nash (Fathers), Dr. Charles Lewis (Social Work Professor, Howard University), Dr. Donald Roe (Historian, Howard University) and Dr. Ronald B. Mincy (Economist, Columbia University).