The Moynihan Report: Something worth reading
on February 22nd, 2005 at 5:18 amI will be the first to admit to you that I have never read this report. Although this report (originally drafted in 1965 by Daniel Patrick Moynihan on the state of black America in that day) may be a little dated in some of its numbers, I found that after reading some of the excerpts many of these problems still exist in our community.
If you are anything like me, I really dread reading about stuff that is “wrong” with black America. I think by now most of us have all the major statistics memorized.
I guess when I bring up issues like what this report addresses, I do so with a hope that one day some of us would be motivated to do our part to reverse these negative statistics. Thankfully, a growing number of us are doing something about it, however, many more are still needed in this fight for our future generations.
Below is a small excerpt from this report that deals specifically with the black male and the negative cycle many of them find themselves in today. I found it to be pretty interesting as I am sure you will as well. At the end of the excerpt, I will provide you with a link to a commentary that is like an addendum to the excerpt as well as a link to the full report itself.
Margaret Mead has pointed out that while ‘In every known human society, everywhere in the world, the young male learns that when he grows up one of the things which he must do in order to be a full member of society is to provide food for some female and her young.’ This pattern is not immutable, however, it can be broken, even though it has always eventually reasserted itself.
‘Within the family, each new generation of young males learn the appropriate nurturing behavior and superimpose upon their biologically given maleness this learned parental role. When the family breaks down . . . this delicate line of transmission is broken. Men may flounder badly in these periods, during which the primary unit may again become mother and child, the biologically given, and the special conditions under which man has held his social traditions in trust are violated and distorted.’. .
A cycle is at work; too many children too early make it most difficult for the parents to finish school. . . . An Urban League study in New York reported that 44% of girl dropouts left school because of pregnancy. Low education levels in turn produce low income levels, which deprive children of many opportunities, and so the cycle repeats itself. . . .
At this point, the present tangle of pathology is capable of perpetuating itself. . . . The cycle can be broken only if these distortions are set right.
In a word, a national effort towards the problems of Negro Americans must be directed towards the question of family structure. The object should be to strengthen the Negro family so as to enable it to raise and support its members as do other families. After that, how this group of Americans chooses to run its affairs, take advantage of opportunities or fail to do so, is none of the nation’s business.
To read the commentary on this excerpt, click here.
To read the full Moynihan Report, click here.
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