In the age of hip hop, how do Black fathers relate to their children, as well as to their own fathers? How do they see and play their roles in both family and community?
Editor April R. Silver weaves together a seamless tapestry of essays, poems, lyrics, and interviews from both analytic and anecdotal perspectives- from the corner to the campus- to address issues of Black masculinity and fatherhood at the birth and maturation of hip hop culture. Be a Father to Your Child begins with a frank discussion of how family formation has changed since the 1960s, especially for communities of color. Individual sections then flesh out historical, sociological, and cultural contexts, examining the impact of welfare, child support, criminal justice, and employment policies on young men of color, Black men in particular. Key to this section is the role of hip hop as an influential cultural phenomenon that shaped the individual writer's conceptions of sexual behavior, family formation, fathering, and community building. Gripping firsthand narratives expound on statistical data to form a powerful composite portrait of the challenges facing modern African American communities, and how to overcome them. Be a Father to Your Child (Soft Skull Press/Counterpoint; Trade Paper; June 2008; $17.95; 978-1-59376-192-9) is a timely and accessible anthology that reaches across genres to understand how young Black fathers relate to their children, their fathers, and themselves.
"Buy a book, support a cause!" One of the main objectives of Be a Father to Your Child is to support the Black Men and Boys Initiative (BMB) of the Twenty-First Century Foundation (http://www.21cf.org/). BMB exists to provide grants for work aimed at "addressing the root causes of problems facing Black men and boys." BMB also seeks to "raise the visibility of critical issues facing Black men and boys nationally in a way that leads to substantive action." For this reason, the contributors and the editor Be a Father to Your Child have agreed to forgo their royalties in order to make the project a charitable cause. Royalties will be donated to support the BMB initiative.
Be a Father to Your Child Contributors:
Lumumba Akinwole-Bandele
Loren S. Harris
Shaun Neblett
Adisa Banjoko Lasana
Omar Hotep
James Peterson
Mo Beasley
Byron Hurt
Kevin Powell
Thabiti Boone
Timothy D. Jones
Rhymefest
Dion "Showtime" Chavis
Saddi Khali
Bill Stephney
William Jelani Cobb
Bakari Kitwana
Cheo Tyehimba
Davey D.
Talib Kweli
Kevin Williams
Steven G. Fullwood
Aaron Lloyd
Alford A. Young, Jr.
About the Editor:
April R. Silver is a widely respected social entrepreneur, activist, and writer. She is founder of AKILA WORKSONGS, Inc., an "arts and activism" multi-service company and is co-founder/producer of the country's first national hip hop conference (Howard University, 1991). A former television talk show host of My Two Cents on BETJ, she has been frequently featured, profiled, or quoted in Time, Newsweek, The Washington Post, Ebony, Ms., The Amsterdam News, and many other outlets. Silver resides and works in Brooklyn, NY.
Be a Father To Your Child: Real Talk From Black Men on Family, Love, and Fatherhood" (April R. Silver, Editor)
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