Obama and Fatherhood: "No Excuses Applies to You Too"

One of the primary slogans being used by the White House to express President Barack Obama's most recent fatherhood initiative is the term "no excuses." I agree Mr. President, there should be no excuses. Rather than seeing fatherhood to be the blessing that it is, there are too many dads who are choosing to deliberately walk away from the table.

But while we are on this theme of "no excuses," I thought I might help you also ensure that you are as committed to this terminology as you expect other black fathers to be. While there are many dads who deliberately walk away from the table, there are thousands of fathers who can't make child support payments or otherwise provide for their families, in large part because black male unemployment is the highest in the country. In fact, on last count, black male unemployment was around 18 percent, epidemic proportions for most Americans, but in the midst of the banter, these facts continue to be ignored.

When you and your administration have been asked to manage this issue, you've given long lists of excuses, starting with "I'm not the president of just black America," or "You should pull yourself up by your bootstraps," etc. Well, my argument to you is that if men are not expected to make excuses for why some are unable to provide for their families, perhaps the government should stop making excuses for promoting, advancing and perpetuating proven structural inequality which continues to make the black man's journey that much more difficult. There are certainly ways to overcome hardship, but collective hardships are going to lead to statistically disparate outcomes.

I had a dad, and I am a dad. As you can imagine, it's not easy. All the while, we've done our jobs and loved our children. The one thing I don't appreciate as a dad is the idea that somehow men like me are believed to not be willing to give the very same love that other fathers give their children, or that we are somehow inferior to the rest of society. It's easy to dole out criticism, but equally difficult to accept it. So, if black men are willing to accept criticism from the government and others who continue to insist that we are choosing to be ineffective dads, I am hopeful that your administration will back up your critiques with purposeful action which creates real opportunities. We do not need to be taught how to play with our kids and love them, we need to be given the chance to provide. Patronizing ads (like this one) featuring daddies playing with their daughters aren't going to help that same daddy find a job to feed her. End of story.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.