Healing generations: How Black fathers are changing the narrative

Andrea Stevens
AFRO Staff Writer
astevens@afro.com

For decades, the image of the absent Black father has shaped both policy and public perception. But a new wave of research—and testimony from Black families themselves—suggest that narrative is shifting.

In 1960, according to U.S. Census data, nearly 78 percent of Black children lived with married parents. By 2011, however, that number had “dropped significantly, with more than 70 percent of Black children born to unmarried mothers,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported.

However, recent statistics suggest a modest rebound. From 2012 to 2022, the number of U.S. children living in homes without a father or both parents dropped from 20.6 million to 18.4 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And a 2013 CDC study also found that “among fathers living with their children, Black fathers were more likely than their White or Hispanic counterparts to participate in daily tasks such as feeding, bathing and helping with homework.”

For Shanice and Steve Cook, a married couple of 12 years raising three children together, the data mirrors their lived experience.

“I’ve definitely noticed more Black fathers in the home with our friend groups and this generation,” Shanice Cook said. “Fathers are being intentional, trying to give their kids what they didn’t have—or what they did.”

Steve Cook, who was raised by a single mother after his parents divorced, said he feels a strong sense of purpose in changing the narrative for his own children.

“I believe it has become more apparent that Black fathers are needed in households to provide stability and balance,” he said. “A lot of us were raised by single mothers, and we’re trying to do better for our children.”

He added that he sees the difference firsthand.

“From my lens, I’ve seen the impact of Black fathers in the home. You can see that the children are loved. They’re not out chasing something they didn’t get at home. There’s an ascension of Black excellence with the generations after us.”

Shanice Cook, who did not grow up with her biological father in the home, said raising children in a two-parent household is a powerful and healing experience.

“It’s definitely fulfilling,” she said. “To be able to give my children something I didn’t have—a family with mommy and daddy in the house, family vacations, love—it’s life-giving.”

Steve Cook emphasized the importance of expressing love openly. 

“Growing up, I didn’t always feel the love because my mom had to be so strict,” he said. “Now, I want my kids to know right away that they are loved and everything we teach them is out of love.”

Tisha Moorer, a single mother with a 4-year-old son, gives her take on single parenthood with the father’s support.

“Our dynamic is a little complex. We live together to coparent but are not together romantically,” she said. “His father is very active, and my son gets to play with both of us at the same time and see how healthy coparenting can present itself in a unique way.”

She emphasizes the importance of her son having his father around so that he has the perspective that he needs.

“Having his dad in his life is important because he can explain things to him in a way that I can’t,” she said. “Ayo was potty trained very quickly and that’s a testament to the bond and understanding his father brings.”