The Black Family by Sady L.M. Logan - Book Report/Review Example

The book The Black Family, by Sady L.M. Logan, is about the unique inner workings of the African-American family. The relationships in these familiesare much different than the relationships that occur in white society and much of this is because of how African-Americans got their start in the United States. Because of slavery, black society was disrupted immensely, which led to a disruption of the family. The mother has taken an increased role in raising and supporting the family, while other members of the community have also been forced to help out. This is because stereotypes have made it acceptable for black fathers to leave their families and so the community has been forced to adjust. The African-American family is not the traditional family unit that is seen throughout Western society, but it is still strong people the people within it take care of each other and ensure that the younger generations are given the proper knowledge to succeed in the future, while hopefully making positive changes. The main theme in this book is the strength of the Africa-American family and a large part of this strength is because of the relationships that occur within the family. The relationship between mothers and daughters in African-American culture is unique because the makeup of African-American culture is unique in its features. Since the times of slavery, African-American mothers have stereotypically taken the role of both mother and father, as they provide for the family not only around the home, but also in the workforce. This has led to the “Mammy” stereotype that is still present to this day. “Mammy” is a woman who can cook, clean, raise the children, and provide for the family all at the same time, without the help of a husband. This is an idea that was created in the time of slavery when black female slaves would not only be forced to work in the fields and take care of their own children, but would also take care of the white children too. To this day, black mothers are viewed as people who can do everything for their families. This has led to black mothers being viewed differently in society than white mothers, but is also one of the reasons why black family units are so strong. Daughters are taught by their mothers to continue to act in this way when they have their own children, so it has created a culture where the mother has multiple roles within the family. Another strength of the African-American family is the presence of family networks. The concepts of bloodmothers, othermothers, and women-centered networks are important to African-American society. A bloodmother is quite simply the woman who gave birth to a child. It is not necessarily the bloodmother that does the majority of the child raising, as often times there are other members of the community that are more fit to do so. Othermothers are any women other than the bloodmother that assist with the child-raising process. This can include aunts, grandmothers, neighbors, and any other members of the community that contributes. This makes it possible for mothers to provide for their children financially, as they have the support of the community while they are away from home. Women-centered networks are responsible for bringing communities together because they help to transmit values from one generation to the next. Very often these networks will have leaders that will help in the raising of children, in order to ensure that the proper values are instilled in the children. This is a means of fighting against the oppression that has been very prominent for a long time. Community elders will take on this role in many cases, although it could also consist of someone from the community that has been through many problems in the past and has risen above them. This is much different than the view of motherhood in white culture, which is a reason why black mothers are sometimes looked down upon. In white culture, a dichotomy exists between traditional white mothers and feminist white mothers. This is because traditionally, white mothers would stay home and take care of the cooking and the cleaning, while the father would provide for the family financially. A society has now been created where it is virtually impossible to split time between the two because there are simply not enough hours in the day. The difference between white mothers and black mothers is the black mothers are stereotypically expected to fill both rolls in one way or another and they very often do accomplish this feat. While this is becoming more common in white culture, it remains much more prevalent in black culture. An important issue in today’s society that the information from this book can be applied to is the view that many black fathers do not take care of their families. Many black fathers are not living up to their responsibilities to their children because they are not around enough to provide a strong, male role model for them. Also, the high unemployment rate among young, black males suggests that they are not providing for their families financially. This role is being filled by women, which includes bloodmothers, othermothers, and community groups. Although it is not always the biological father that is responsible for contributing to the development of black children, there are positive factors that come from other places. First of all, community support is a major factor in this upbringing, as it teaches children how to interact. Also, teachers and coaches can be important role models because they have very often been through the same types of situations that the children have. This guardian support provides the children with hope for the future because it shows that positives changes can be made. Also, European society has impacted the black father’s ability to implement his paternal responsibility by, firstly, disrupting the black family unit during slavery. These families were transplanted into an entirely different part of the world and expected to do whatever their captors said, rather than continuing on with their traditional cultures. While this disruption took place generations ago, it has not yet been repaired and, therefore, problems still exist in black society. Secondly, by creating the jezebel stereotype for black women where black women are seen as almost demonic creatures, European society has made it socially acceptable for black fathers to leave their families. It is something that is almost expected of them now because of the stereotypes that have been created by white society. What this book teaches us is that black families have a great deal of strength because of the adversity that they have faced. This started during slavery and continues on until today, but the black family continues on because community networks are so common. The black family might not be the same as the stereotypical white family, but its strength are the fact that so many different people are involved in the lives of the children, which makes sure that these children receive the guidance that they require. This book reveals a great deal of insight into the African-American family by giving the reader a glimpse of why things turned out the way they did. The black family was disrupted by slavery and, because of this, the mother has taken on a much larger role than in other cultures. This has led to many other people having to step up and get involved in the lives of the children. This has created a very unique, yet still very strong, family unit in African-American culture. Read More