A Society Illusively Fixated on Fatherhood
UPDATED!!! May 7
This is in response to Hopes rise for progress on fatherhood woes.
President Obama is seen as key figure in campaign to promote responsible dads because he has been a target: a target of the idea of "Responsible Fatherhood" that originated in Illinois (and Indiana):
He is a past co-sponsor of an ambitious fatherhood bill that Democrats Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana and Rep. Danny Davis of Illinois plan to reintroduce in conjunction with Father's Day. Many of its provisions are aimed at removing barriers that deter noncustodial fathers from providing financial support to their children.People like Evan Bayh and Jeff Leving have crept up on Obama, using the President's life history and experiences to catapult their patriarchal platform. This tactic has been well-noted as fatherhood camps heavily target Black men, especially through research on black "fatherless" families.
These men are not well-intentioned. They could give a flying fuck about the needs of Black families, especially women and children. They illustrate Black matriarchal families as the epitome of all of societal ills, citing deceptive research that talks about father absence and sex, incarceration, education, self-esteem, etc. This is crafted in order to continue to subjugate White women...all women.
The "Responsible Fatherhood" money (Courtesy of the Administration of Children and Families ACF) is supposed to be used to help men improve themselves economically, for the betterment of their children. And many of us support this idea. However, when this money is being used to help fathers gain access to their children via joint custody and custody switching (from mothers), we must question the motives.
| 90FR0025 | RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD CLASSES WITH INCARCERATED FATHERS. CONCURRENT WORK WITH MOTHER/CARETAKER OF CHILD, TO LEARN RESP | ACF | ACF | $441,387 |
- How does decreasing or eliminating child support benefit children of poverty?
- How does establishing or maintaining a relationship with a previously/currently violent father benefit children with emotional problems?
- How does alternating custody benefit children with stability and attachment issues?
The Black communities have a multiplicity of needs that stem from the intersection of the -isms. We are not well-served by simple notions, especially those that are held by people not vested in our best interests.
"No one objects to responsible fatherhood," said Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women. "What we object to is the use of very limited welfare funds that are needed for the support of children being diverted into job training and other programs for fathers that are not available to the mothers."Interesting. Notice the lack of the use of the word "mother." When does society talk about mothers, only on Mother's Day? Where in the Whitehouse.gov literature are mothers' issues addressed? This is very telling.
Joshua DuBois, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, said Obama's record on women's rights should help ease any concerns over his interest in fatherhood.
"The president has been such a solid supporter of women's issues," DuBois said. "They know he's not going to do anything to compromise the position of women in their families, and that trust is key in the search for common ground."
Apparently, women and mothers are indistinguishable--fathers and men are not. If President Obama really wanted to help families, he would establish policies that create stability for children in their current arrangements. Regulating the family through Fatherhood Initiatives is a joke, unless it involves re-framing the negative ideas that many men have about women, mothers, and caretaking.
Some like to speak about how Black men disrespect their own women in their music lyrics, video, and literature. However, these attitudes do not operate inside of a vacuum--they are reflective of society at large. This pitting Black men against Black women serves the agenda of men like Bayh and Leving. We know we have all this booty shaking and titties in the videos, we're addressing it. But who's doing something about all of these homicides and familicides, mostly committed by White men?
It is our greatest hope that President Obama is as intelligent as we thought he was when we voted for him. Not all of us want a dog, a two parent male/female household, and a white picket fence. Fatherhood can't even exist, without Motherhood.
| Award Number | Award Title | OPDIV | Program Office | Sum of Actions | |
| 90FR0093 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 450,000 | |
| 90FR0093 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | OFA | $ 225,000 | |
| 90FR0082 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD- PRIORITY AREA #3 | ACF | ACF | $ 450,000 | |
| 90FR0082 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD- PRIORITY AREA #3 | ACF | OFA | $ 225,000 | |
| 90FR0079 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 499,104 | |
| 90FR0079 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | OFA | $ 249,552 | |
| 90FR0060 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 449,416 | |
| 90FR0060 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | OFA | $ 223,808 | |
| 90FR0031 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 2,000,000 | |
| 90FR0031 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | OFA | $ 1,000,000 | |
| 90FR0104 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 474,640 | |
| 90FR0010 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 652,110 | |
| 90FR0008 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD, PRIORITY AREA 3 | ACF | ACF | $ 500,000 | |
| 90FR0007 | F&CS PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD PROJECT | ACF | ACF | $ 460,000 | |
| 90FR0004 | HEALTHY MARRIAGE AND RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD PROJECT | ACF | ACF | $ 956,109 | |
| 90FR0103 | HSI RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD LEVEL 1 - A COORDINATED EFFORT TO RECRUIT AND ENROLL FATHERS AND EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY ABOUT | ACF | ACF | $ 1,500,000 | |
| 90FR0101 | IDOC APPLICATION FOR THE PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD GRANT FOR THE PREP PROGRAM | ACF | ACF | $ 798,740 | |
| 90FR0098 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD COMMUNITY ACCESS PROGRAM | ACF | ACF | $ 1,900,000 | |
| 90FR0097 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 922,924 | |
| 90FR0095 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 950,000 | |
| 90FR0094 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 440,184 | |
| 90FR0092 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 694,061 | |
| 90FR0091 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 1,450,442 | |
| 90FR0088 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD, COMMUNITY ACCESS PROGRAM | ACF | ACF | $ 2,000,000 | |
| 90FR0086 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD COMMUNITY ACCESS PROGRAM | ACF | ACF | $ 1,998,000 | |
| 90FR0085 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD COMMUNITY ACCESS PROGRAM | ACF | ACF | $ 4,000,000 | |
| 90FR0084 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 1,000,000 | |
| 90FR0081 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 407,588 | |
| 90FR0080 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 462,500 | |
| 90FR0077 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 561,660 | |
| 90FR0075 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 452,000 | |
| 90FR0073 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 870,000 | |
| 90FR0072 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 500,000 | |
| 90FR0070 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 388,998 | |
| 90FR0069 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 486,488 | |
| 90FR0068 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 975,000 | |
| 90FR0067 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 1,000,000 | |
| 90FR0066 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 738,664 | |
| 90FR0064 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 310,000 | |
| 90FR0063 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 450,000 | |
| 90FR0062 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 464,203 | |
| 90FR0059 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 852,000 | |
| 90FR0058 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 500,000 | |
| 90FR0057 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 436,671 | |
| 90FR0056 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD, PRIORITY AREA 3 | ACF | ACF | $ 465,533 | |
| 90FR0055 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 400,000 | |
| 90FR0053 | POMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 500,000 | |
| 90FR0052 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 350,000 | |
| 90FR0050 | PROMORING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 847,712 | |
| 90FR0049 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 1,000,000 | |
| 90FR0045 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 462,000 | |
| 90FR0044 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 824,000 | |
| 90FR0043 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 463,999 | |
| 90FR0042 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 1,410,000 | |
| 90FR0040 | PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD | ACF | ACF | $ 500,000 | |
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For more info on fatherhood drivel, see: this, and click on some of the posts categorized below.
See Also: Analysis: Attack on single mothers not justified
