7 of the Worst Stereotypes About Black Fathers

The conventional wisdom about absent Black fathers has turned the idea of Black fatherhood into an anomaly, an oxymoron, in the eyes of many. But the statistics don’t back up this notion of the negligent, irresponsible Black father.

Black Fathers Aren’t Involved in Their Children’s Lives

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, African-American fathers spend more time in their children’s day-to-day lives than dads from other racial groups. The Pew Research Center has found similar evidence that Black dads don’t differ from white dads in any significant way, and that there isn’t the expected disparity found in so many other reports. Although Black fathers are more likely to live in separate households, Pew estimates that 67 percent of Black dads who don’t live with their kids see them at least once a month, compared to 59 percent of white dads and just 32 percent of Hispanic dads.

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