What We Can Do Can Be Done.

Balloon Ark created by my cousin, Marcia Liggett at First Church of God, for Amber's Amazing Balloons. Sept. 9, 2018, which is her daughter's business. Amber, a new college graduate in grad. school right now, has been in business since elementary school. It is a successful business. 

Parenting is an art. In today's climate it isn't acted out this way. With so much of American thought and practice as parents under duress one would logically believe it not possible given the wealth and advantages of this culture. For people whose ancestors are indigenous to this land, and from the Land of the Blacks there are ancient ways of being a parent, and a part of community that is foreign to European thought, belief and practice. This is important to fathom because the fact is white Americans have created chaos where they know order belongs. Why they do this instinctually requires deep study.

I mention this in the context of acknowledging my cousin Maria Liggett, and her husband, Lamont, who have retained and mastered an ancient way of raising and developing their children that outsizes the puny thought process common in American life that develops the lowest impulses within children from suicide to gang warfare and truancy. How a nation underserves its children is based on the belief systems held during the long periods of European life in their Dark Ages.

They raised their children in a white community on purpose in Western Pennsylvania, which is significant because the climate there is seeped in the self-destructive dynamics of racism, as a social construct. The two of them set their standards of expectation high, and humbly influenced a white town towards a higher awareness outside of, and away from the primitive outlines they feel special within as 'superiors'. Their two children had struggles within what is typical of white American resistance to the challenges to their assertions of superiority in terms of intelligence, capacity to learn and exceed. The two children started and developed business in elementary school that have grown. The boy, Rob, has a successful photography business. He is in high school. His sister, Amber's balloon business afforded her opportunities too numerous to mention in the small space of an article.

The point is one of excellence. It is not a target point of the majority. For those on this trajectory there is a special consideration: they will find a way to learn the secrets and the techniques of the best from the best of the best. The rest?

Well. . .


- Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories
 [September 8, 2018]

Perceptions or Musings.

Portrait of a Black man's family in the early years. 

By Nakeisha Campbell

Pregnant by Pasckie Pascua 

Acrylic. Watercolor. Pens. Sharpies. Pastels. Paper canvas. White boards. Sketchpads. 2017.

Pregnant Aishwarya Rai

"Ghetto whores, like Soleil, physically are staggering beauties. Men have to train themselves to see into women's eyes. Therein lies truths, contradictions and the indicators of darkness...That won't happen. Two whores copulating disagree on honesty, and their perceptions of life are linked, and indicative of worth. Devalued one whore cannot see the value of the other whore." - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories

Our Granddaughter

Erin Elaine fed by her great great grandmother. 

"I wonder aloud about how important it is for generations to connect when grandparents hold the family's newborns. One is coming from the place the oldest is getting ready to go to. It is an old and equal exchange. It is a necessity. The holding of one is the being held by another and in that embrace is the future, the past in the present moment speaking to eternity, the temporal and the magical parts of Life we can only express through touch and knowing!" - Gregory E. Woods,(Dawn Wolf) Keeper of Stories September 11, 2014 

Erin-Elaine with her Grandmother, Talia's mother July 26, 2014. 

Talia's mother is special and powerful in the way she carried Talia from birth to this moment when the privilege of holding her daughter's first born creates the circle started by her ancients with not an end to the possibilities of concentric circles developing around this embrace that holds more of the Life mysteries that keeps hope and possibilities accessible to the joy of being alive, being a mother, being a daughter and a wife to my son, Lemuel." - Gregory E. Woods, July 26, 2014 

Erin Elaine and her great grandfather, my father. 

Meditative Women.

African woman's gentle beauty of countenance.

South Sudanese Model Ataui Deng is a “Funky Star” in Marie Claire France’s January 2014 Issue

classic beauty of a Black American woman with her daughters is the inspiration of her husband, and their father!!!!

dark classic beauty against colors from the spirit that founded terrestrial life!

A Story of BEAUTY

January 2, 2016 this couple became engaged at The National Shrine of our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, IL. It began as a normal day enjoying time alone before having to go get their kids from nana's house. Amiana and Dennis better known as Ami and Tim went to the movies first for that last "alone time before the kids" and proceeded to head to Nana's to get their sons.

Nana had the bright idea of letting the kids see the lights and pet the camels so everyone loaded up to go to the Shrine for the Christmas lights before they were put up for the season. At the very end of the light display the family got out to light a candle as they always had, Ami went up first to light her candle. Tim walked along with her but did not follow in lighting the candles, she turned around and there he was! On a bended knee with a beautiful ring! Ami was surprised beyond belief! Her mom, sister, and sons were holding a sign that read "Have a SPARKLING NEW YEAR". She burst into tears and of course said yes!

After being in shock for about 10 minutes Ami got back in the car with her now fiancée and family and screamed with excitement for the rest of the night! It was more than the engagement ring, it was the clarity that even though the couple had experienced "life's storms" over the 16+ years of knowing each other, it was that moment he placed the ring was on her finger she KNEW WITHOUT A DOUBT that LOVE WILL ALWAYS FIND ITS WAY!

Amiana and Dennis will be getting married May 6, 2017 at the very place they were engaged! The National Shrine of our Lady of the Snows.

This couple, Amiana and Dennis were engaged here at the

National Shrine of our Lady of the Snows.

They will marry here May 6, 2017.

Gateway Bridal Shows

Thinking About America!

Joan Crawford. The awkwardness of her beauty was her beauty.

If I was to say something about Joan Crawford I couldn't have said thirty or forty years ago I would say, "The awkwardness of her facial structure created an allure, a way of being in touch with something you could touch and not describe well at all, but it was a beautiful thing to look deep within and think about what dreams inside of her essence, her essential beauty of spirit!" ~ Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories [Feb. 14, 2017]

James Dean.

Soon after World War II, James Dean, the image of; gave birth to a sense of isolation and alienation to a generation that eventually led to the creation of cult followings of grunge, hippies, white street gangs, violent motorcycle clubs, Gothic, and so on... It lead to a disengagement that quietly grew into terrifying acts of white on other people violence steering thousands of white boys and men in directions the government used in insidious ways. The KKK latched on to that spirit, the movement of white men darkened in blood. White men who otherwise were privileged because they were white found refuge in various groups singing Dixie wishing for the return of the old South. It hasn't abated either. It is stronger today as Klansmen, and Klan sympathizers take positions in the Trump administration this time without much concealing of intent or identity.

James Dean. That is what he feels like. His legacy was part of what many non-white fathers had to lay out and interpret for their sons to incorporate into their adult lives. It has always been the strategies created to deal with the multiple recreations of white power that kept Black and Red people alive. Whether white Americans want to believe it, or deny the necessity of intelligent strategies we need does not matter to us. Our lives don't depend on their beliefs, or do they? If the answer is yes we need to re-evaluate our thinking, our believing, our living and our dying.

Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories

Feb. 14, 2017

Hollywood Classics 

Life.com 

Kim Novak, actress in 1958 with a Siamese cat from the film Bell, Book and Candle.

photograph by Eliot Elisofon for The LIFE Picture Collection Getty Images.

Steve McQueen and his wife, Neile, Palm Springs, 1963.

photo by John Dominis —The LIFE Picture Collection Getty Images

LIFE magazine's creator, Henry Luce's original 1936 mission statement

delineating his new venture's workmanlike method and its lofty aims.

LIFE magazine was a profound publication. It like other magazines of the eras it lived through took deep pride in its research, photographers, reporters and most important the written word's depth. One average person expressed their feelings about this type of reporting world events that touches me I'd like to share with younger people obsessed with lesser pursuits believing their depth matches what proceeded them.

Matteson Mae Emmaery Langan said, "this was my favorite magazine. period. end of story. far down the line was reader's digest before it was filled with more advertisements than writing. my grandmother, who knew I loved reading, would get me subscriptions for one for my birthday and one for xmas. I had a very happy and educated childhood. now that LIFE is owned by time.com, you get nothing but political jibbery, and quite honestly, between what is on the news, and what you hear anywhere you go in the public and what your friends are discussing, it's more than enough. bring back the magazine that spoke through images and small quotes of words that said it all. please. this world is getting dumber, and worse as it is. don't pander to its inequities."

How TIMES have changed and Not Changed!

Black people have witnessed this type story play out time and time again. The lies bubble to the surface, sometimes slower than others; but generally, the people know they are there, -the mendacity, the deceit, the perjury. They may not know with unquestioned veracity or specificity, but they know innately, through experience, deep down in the gut, that the lies are there. #EmmettTill #CarolBryant 

Emmett Till's killer, Carolyn Bryant.

" according to Vanity Fair, Carolyn Bryant testified that Emmett “had grabbed her and verbally threatened her. She said that while she was unable to utter the ‘unprintable’ word he had used ... ‘he said [he had]’—done something – ‘with white women before.’”


The jury did not hear Carolyn Bryant’s testimony because the judge ruled that it was not relevant to Emmett’s murder, but the result was the same, and her testimony was still heard by court spectators and put on the record because the defense wanted to use it as evidence in case of an appeal if the defendants happened to be convicted.


However, now, Vanity Fair reports, Carolyn Bryant Donham (who has since been divorced and remarried twice more) has broken her decades long silence.

In a new book The Blood of Emmett Till, author Timothy Tyson, a Duke University senior research scholar, reveals that in 2007 Donham, at the age of 72, admitted that she had made up the most damning part of her testimony.

“That part’s not true,” Donham reportedly told Tyson about her claim that Emmett made verbal and physical advances toward her.

Conveniently, according to Vanity Fair, she said that she couldn’t remember the rest of what happened that August evening in the store. The news site noted that the now-82-year-old’s whereabouts have been kept a secret by her family.

Tyson’s book is due to be published next week by Simon & Schuster. And, according to Vanity Fair, although several other authors have written about Emmett’s story, no one, with the exception of Tyson, has ever had the opportunity to interview Donham." ~ Michael Scipio

Some white women are so openly sweet of spirit you question the resistance to marrying them. Sensing they are good for you is difficult to wrestle with. Isn't the idea to find a mate for the soul? ~ Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 2.5.17

Emmett Till as he is remembered.

Deep Powers Birthed From

The deep splendor of African womanhood in America is a deep knowing about how things work to protect their men and children from the sinister boogeymen lurking about to devour what they have birthed and whom they have shaped into a better manhood.

Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories Jan. 12, 2017

Do I Need a Title?

There is a rumble in a story I am going to tell beneath the surface.

Black Americans, I believe, fail their children because parents place their full trust in a system designed for their children's demise. Black people 'adore' white American's contempt. If it were not true the obvious things to protect and develop their children would be done automatically.

Abandoning our children is a deep and conscious decision made daily. Not plunging into why the system of thought about education exists is abnegation of duty. Or maybe Black Americans are lazy. There are other systems of education that fit our children that is not resistant to creativity and is resistant to social engineering. There are other battles to fight within these schools, but it is better to fight those fights with a sense of knowing the control has shifted in your favor. And then there is control. I don't believe, and I am not convinced Blacks are finished with their assigned role of subjugation.

Maybe, Blacks are waiting to be saved, or simply enjoy complaining. The onus is on us to grab the reins of the horse running amok and bring him to a halt. The reins physically control the horse's movement, but the horse studies the rider's soul, and emotions. His determination of the substance of strength or weakness in the rider supports his compliance, or rebellion. Riders know this. It is why some healers use horses to mediate the healing and balancing of disruption, disorder, psychic pain, and trauma in a wide variety of people. Water mediates and tempers the soul, balances fire's propensity to destroy by directing the heat to heal when needed. Understanding the elements are the genius of indigenous cultures. Education, at the level it is, in modern life is not based upon the structures of living in the world as co-creators, and caretakers, or nurturers. It is based on something insidious.   

What would the American education system look like if Black Americans, en masse, moved away from their norm and rode horses instead of walking mules on acreage they don't own? What would change in the social environment if Black people shifted from the slave/mastery mentality into the difficult waters of self-sufficiency, if they trained their own children's spirits?

At the core of the controversy about education is one unanswered question many white people on both ends of the spectrum ask of each other, but avoid asking Black parents: "If Black lives mattered would Colored folks be so dependent upon white's control over their lives?"  

Gregory E. Woods, Grandfather  

Dec. 15, 2016

enamored by black.

Law of Attraction - Ask, Believe, Receive 

Kim Kardashian arriving at the Ganesvoort Hotel in NYC. in quite splendor June 26, 2014.

Kimi Koutoure

Gabrielle Union at the 102nd White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, D.C.,

on April 30, 2016. photo by Larry Busacca  

They had dreams. Wonder how their lives panned out? How did their lives ripple into the world circles of family and friends from then until now? These are eternal and internal riddles forever, it seems, unraveling. - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories October 27, 2016

Bad Teacher? Sexy Woman?

Teacher Bae. Clothing Controversy. Inappropriate for a School Environment or No?

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Sophia Reed in Entertainment 


Recently we have all been exposed to the teacher bae controversy in what she was wearing to work. To be honest I am a woman who is black AND curvy; and as soon as I saw the pictures I thought that her attire was not appropriate.  I saw the pictures when they first came out before anyone was even talking about her clothes and that was the first thing that came to my mind.  “Why is her dress so short?”

I think that she is a gorgeous women and her body is beautiful. But at the same time we ALL need to be mindful of our body types.  There are some really cute dresses and skirts that I have bought that look great on women who have a smaller butt than mine.  But when I put it on, if I were to bend over then everyone would see what was underneath my skirt.  If I wear that skirt to work I should not say that if a skinny girl is wearing it she would get less criticism them me. Of course she would.  Her butt is not showing when she put on the skirt….Mine is.   The fact of the matter is that the outfit, fits differently on me than it does her, and as a grown professional woman I have should have enough sense to know that wearing something where my backside may be exposed when I sit down is not a good idea.

Because I am a curvier girl I do not have be mindful on what I wear to work and how it comes across. As we all should be.  And if something looks appropriate on someone else and inappropriate on me, I need to be able to take it off.  I know that we have all seen people wearing things that they have no business wearing it does not matter if they are curvy, skinny, tall, or short.  So for myself, my problem with her work place attire is not about her being curvy, but that she should be more mindful that she is in a school environment and understand that some of her outfits are not a good choice for a school environment.

I will admit that I do not think ALL of her clothes are bad or inappropriate. But I will say that schools have a dress code for students and if students are not allowed to wear a tight bodycon dress to school, then why should a teacher. Most schools do not allow a skirt or dress to be more than 3 inches above the knee for students.  So why would a teacher wear something that is more than 3 inches above the knee? 

My high school did not allow students to wear shorts.  And this was in Texas where it was hot.  How crazy would that look if a teacher wore shorts to school, and the schools tell us we cannot not?  Teachers should set the standards for students.  There is nothing wrong with looking good.  But you can look good wearing appropriate clothing to work.  I should be able to tell the difference between your working clothes and your clubbing those.  They are not the same things.

When determining what you should be wearing to work, you need to take a few things into consideration. You need to think about where you work.  Working in a school is not the same as working at a fashion magazine.  You can get away with different attire at a fashion magazine then you can at a school.  These things should be common sense.

I may be in the minority with it comes to Miss Teacher Bae. Because most people seem to think that she is being discriminated against.  But speaking from experience, there are some things that I chose not to wear to work because it is too clingy, too tight, or too short.  I feel that, these things are the mentality of a professional. I never want to come to work and have to be sent home because what I am wearing is not consistent with the organization's dress clothes policy.

Teacher, Patrice Brown or Paris Monroe of Atlanta controversy about her fineness.

Cameron Diaz playing Elizabeth Halsey in Bad Teacher.

Teacher, Patrice Brown a 2nd Grade teacher at Boyd Elementary in Atlanta, Georgia

in her classroom.

INTO Our Bloodlines We GO!

"We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self discipline and effort." ~ Jesse Owens

Photographers of Color

photographer Gervel Jones-Sampson‎ under water. Image shot by her Nikon d800. This model could sink to the bottom easily, she wrote back to me in response to an inquiry I had about the photograph. - Dawn Wolf, Keeper of Stories

Photographer Gervel Jones-Sampson‎ under water puts my mind to rest and to a test with the images she captures with her cameras. Another Black photographer, Russell K. Frederick deals with ideals men should pay attention to in their daily practices and lives. All of these contributions to thought, and feeling lead towards self-determination. How it is applicable to you depends on you, the mood your life is settled into and what your gift is to the world!

~ Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories

Fatherhood is the theme here. This shot reminds me of the way Black fathers prior to the 1980's tried to invest in their sons. photo by Russell Frederick. (2015)

Kujichagulia/Self-Determination is best described from lives lived in certain ways. It is easy to stand aloof from the trails, or to have a cool, yet distant stance away from the work it takes to embody high principles. There is no way around the spiritual work impeccability requires of warriors and adults.

Jesse Owens, the track star who shut Hitler down almost a hundred years ago at the Olympics in Nazi Germany said, "We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self discipline and effort."

Jesse Owens also left a spiritual legacy in his bloodlines no less reflective of these high principles! I know because I married into his bloodline. - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 8.7.16

The Elegant Lines of Black Lovers

Fine Black couple expecting their child.
 8 hrs 

 

"Many things open within me seeing moments like this between a man and  his woman. Those memories I have are personal and dear to my sense of purpose, Being and very sensitive to how the sum of one pregnancy points to the possibility of a better horizon, a better chance for hope and the fulfillment of prophecies each birth creates.

same fine Black couple pregnant together.
8 hrs 

 

Nothing can speak as loud, or louder than the bulging form of a woman's body carrying life. Nothing speaks to the mysterious Life and Death exchange that pregnancies and birth brings center stage to challenge the mundane of existence and dynamics of the friction between the three." - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 6.30.14

A black couple pregnant, proud, beautiful to look at and be around is often more than a lot to treasure.
- Dawn Wolf, Keeper of Stories
6.30.14
8 hrs 

 

What We Think Sees Us



cast of Good Times (CBS press photo) Jimmie Walker, Bernadette Stanis, John Amos & Esther Rolle (1975)

The show, Good Times, we watched out of pride, and the show I gleaned insight into a mentality, a worldview outside of my world. I did not relate to the show as a reflection of my life or family. It was a remarkable series with many benefits and one major flaw: it was written by Norman Mailer, a white man.

In the 1970's fresh off the trail and trail of social activism the insistence of white Hollywood to write other people's stories was the next hurdle. . . - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 6/15/16

 

Good Question

Could Home-Schooling Influence Children’s Religious Beliefs?



 

Black Wealth in Children

Hello everyone,

 

Over my 20 years of teaching wealth building and financial concepts to young people, I've figured a few things out. I realized that there is an economic game that is played in America, in which black people are pawns in this game, but we are not always equipped to be the players.

 

Money flies over our heads and through our fingers, but it rarely stays in our pockets. We are used to create jobs for other people, but are unable to create jobs for ourselves.

 

This is a VERY serious problem.

 

After thinking deeply about this issue for several years, I decided to do something about it. As a result, I've created The Black Millionaires of Tomorrow Program to teach wealth building for black children.

 

The program currently has three online courses for children under the age of 18 that will GUARANTEE that your child will have a financial literacy level that exceeds the average college student in America.

 

I'm not joking. I've thought this through very carefully.

 

The program has three courses that you can either purchase individually, or as a package.

 

1) 15 things every black child needs to know about MONEY.

2) 15 things every black child needs to know about INVESTING.

3) 15 things every black child needs to know about THE STOCK MARKET.

 

Each course consists of the following:

 

1) Three video lesson modules, consisting of five lessons each, all taught by me.

2) Powerpoint slides to secure your child's learning of the concepts in each module.

3) A self-study exam for each module that can be repeated until your child has mastered all of the concepts in each lesson.

 

The courses cover the following topics, among others:

 

1) What is capital?

2) The difference between a producer and a consumer

3) The difference between good debt and bad debt

4) The COST model of Cooperative Economics

5) What is an investor?

6) What is a mortgage?

7) The definition of a stock vs. a bond

8) What causes a stock price to move?

9) What is a dividend?

10) What is an asset class?

 

Much, much more.

 

You can purchase any of the courses above individually, or you can sign your child up for all three at one steeply discounted price. Basically, by purchasing all three together, the first course is ABSOLUTELY FREE (so those who've already taken the first course won't pay anything extra by purchasing the entire package).

 

You can take advantage of this special offer by visiting the link below.

 

All courses come with a 30-day, 100% money back guarantee, so there is no risk to you whatsoever. Also, you and your child will have access to the course materials both now and forever.

 

The bottom line is that, by doing very basic things for our children at an early age, we can position them to be able to take control of their destiny. Creating their own jobs and knowing how money works is an important part of this process.

 

You can get your 3-in-1 discount package here.

 

We even have a payment plan for those who want to break the payments into two pieces.

 

Until we meet again, please be strong, be blessed and be educated. 

 

Sincerely, 

Dr Boyce Watkins

Dr Boyce Watkins | info@boycewatkins.com | Watkins Media Group | 935 Carver St. | Westpoint, MS 39773

 

BEBE'S KIDS: Black Men & Spiritual Science

Tootsie

More and more I hear younger men making complaints about the women they have to chose from. It is Black men I hear worried and complaining about women they are attracted to who are also mothers. Not knowing what it means many venture into these relationships drawn by whatever drew them to the women in the first place. Times have changed and the dynamics of the sexual revolution and the long period of re-accessing of values from the hippie era is manifesting in a social construct traditions are not prepared to handle fairly. 

Cuddled between short and taller pillars men are required to have or at the least have access to deeper wisdoms if they slide between the legs of a single mother whom they know, without any doubt, will be significant and permanent in their lives. The need for pussy, and the skill to please her pussy does not constitute a man who knows how to parent another man's children, or other men's children.

The cords between a woman and the men who've entered her complicate her subtle body's relationship with her new man. Most are unaware of this, and if anyone is aware of the influence of the cords linked to their mother's bodies her children do. Children are skilled. They know how to play with those cords and affect the outcome of  the relationship between their mother and the new man. 

Religion and science and societal norms do not teach the spirit of a man well enough to imbue him with deep knowledge of self, and his relationship with and importance to the wisdom of sexuality. How many men are aware of and actively engulfed in the study of spiritual sciences from within and while engaged inside of the woman he loves and has to copulate with frequently? In most respects women are the greater creation. We, as men, feel it, and at times struggle against it trying to overcome the centrifugal sexual movement which tends to lead us into the abyss of the female without success. We are vulnerable suspended in the air held afloat by the sexual tension and grounded by the growing care and love in our hearts for this woman. In this state study is a good thing to begin doing. 

But what does this have to do with Bebe's kids, and for those who don't know; Bebe's kids are the comedic offspring of a famous Black comedian, Robin Williams. His portrayal of a single Black mother's horrible children and the angst felt by the man trying to build a life with her brought the house down every time. To this day, years after his death, these characters have come to symbolize a major problem within the Black American community. The simple expression, Bebe's Kids, is parallel to any of the pithy sayings of the great ones in Western history. 

Well, back to the first question: "What does this have to do with Bebe's kids?"

Well my answer addressed to the young men is simple, "Well, one gets what one attracts. We attract things we need, or need to learn from, and children mirror so much it is often scary seeing who they saw doing what they do!"- Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories (dec. 21, 2012)

ass divine 

beautiful body of Daria pantiless on floor in heels !!!!

a Young Man's proposals

Family,

I'm blessed to be a part of a dynamic extended Family. Multi-generational, diverse, scholarly, skilled, grindin', perfectly flawed and yes effected by the deliberate attacks of oppressors to do away with me. We must face up to our situation and take back our power. There are facts that we need to take charge of and bring back love, marriage and commitment. Embrace those of us who struggle into the extended arms of the family. Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts Cousins gather up our Family from the East to the West, North to the South". 

Stop following the Oppressors template for what makes our African lives relevant and healthy. Return to the principles that empowered us to thrive after the holocaust and re-establish ourselves firmly in the Earth: interdependence, co-operation, ethics and nuclear families, with loving Mothers and Fathers. Celebrities shouldn't be our model, the money ain't making their life better. I'm calling on my Generation to take back our fate. Poverty doesn't have to break down the Family. Its about our Character. 

ManUP. WomanUP.  I ain't judgin' I'm just sayin'... BTW White Folks are in serious trouble, too. 

-  Siddiq Faluse Jeffries


Excerpt from City Journal

 By now, these facts shouldn’t be hard to grasp. Almost 70 percent of black children are born to single mothers. Those mothers are far more likely than married mothers to be poor, even after a post-welfare-reform decline in child poverty. They are also more likely to pass that poverty on to their children. Sophisticates often try to dodge the implications of this bleak reality by shrugging that single motherhood is an inescapable fact of modern life, affecting everyone from the "bobo" Murphy Browns to the ghetto “baby mamas.” Not so; it is a largely low-income—and disproportionately black—phenomenon. The vast majority of higher-income women wait to have their children until they are married. The truth is that we are now a two-family nation, separate and unequal—one thriving and intact, and the other struggling, broken, and far too often African-American. (Whites are in serious crisis, too but for different reasons)