Strong Families Build Strong Societies

            Family affects the type of society of which it is a part. If the family is strong, it strengthens its community, which then leads to strong states and nations. If the family is weak, it leads to a weaker community, state, and nation. Many of the problems present in the world today are the result of weak or non-existent families.

            Walter E. Williams, a professor of economics at George Mason University, posted an article about the problems of black Americans.   Recognizing that many African-Americans blame all their problems on the fact that their ancestors were slaves, Williams says that “there is little evidence to support” this claim. He says that the “No. 1 problem among blacks is the effects stemming from a very weak family structure,” and then continues with this statement.

Children from fatherless homes are likelier to drop out of high school, die by suicide, have behavioral disorders, join gangs, commit crimes, and end up in prison. They are also likelier to live in poverty-stricken households.

            Williams provides some facts showing that the weakened black family is the result of the War on Poverty rather than the “legacy of slavery."

. In 1960, just 22 percent of black children were raised in single-parent families. Fifty years later, more than 70 percent of black children were raised in single-parent families.

. In 1938 11 percent of black children were born to unwed mothers. Today about 75 percent of black children are born to unwed mothers.

. The black family was stronger the first 100 years after slavery than during what will be the second 100 years.

. At one time, almost all black families were poor…. Today roughly 30 percent of blacks are poor.

. Two-parent black families are rarely poor. Only 8 percent of black married-couple families live in poverty. The poverty rate [of such families] is under 5 percent.

. Poverty in black families headed by single women is 37 percent.

            Williams continues by explaining that the lack of marriage is not the only problem affecting black families. Whereas blacks were once “as active as or more so than whites in the labor market,” there is much unemployment in the black community today. He says that education is another problem.

Many black 12^th-graders deal with scientific problems at the level of whites in the sixth grade. They write and do math about as well as white seventh- and eighth-graders.

All of this means that an employer hiring or a college admitting the typical black high school graduate is in effect hiring or admitting an eighth-grader. Thus, one should not be surprised by the outcomes.

            Williams claims that this damage to black Americans is “inflicted” by “politicians, civil rights leaders, and academics” who continue to claim that slavery and discrimination are the cause of all black problems.

            As Williams is African-American, these statements about the problems facing black Americans are monumental. However, they are applicable to every race. There are certain actions that make strong societies, and they apply to strengthening families.

            The most important action is for a man and a woman to get married before becoming parents and then to stay married. Children need both a father and a mother in their lives because they need both the masculine and the feminine influences. The second important action is to graduate from high school and then to gain some additional training in order to prepare to provide for self and family. The third thing of importance is to be aware of who one supports. Liberals claim that they are “helping” Africans Americans, but the results of their actions show that the black families increasingly suffer under the liberal policies.

            One certain fact is that family has a powerful effect on society. If we want to strengthen our communities and nations, we must first strengthen our families and recognize that strong families begin with strong marriages.