MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY JOURNAL SPECIAL FFAATTHHEERR’’SS DDAAYY WEEVOL.D DXXEXIIII NTETO. 51II KJOOUNE E1N0N, 20N16 50 CDENTS WEEKBULK RATE U.S.E POSTAGE MILWNAUKEE, WISCODNSIN PERMIT 4668 FOCUS DISPELLING THE MYTHS ABOUT BLACK FATHERS By Aaron Paxton Arnold First posted on CNN.com July 20, 2015 terparts n America, the perception is that * Children 5-18: Black Fathers took chil- dren to and from activities daily more com- pared to their white and Hispanic the black father doesn't exist. counterparts * Children 5-18: Black Fathers also Negative stereotypes of black helped their kids with homework more than their white and Hispanic counterparts Positive energy begets positive results. men persist, and people on the And if positive trends like this can help dis- I pel the myths of black fathers as irrespon- right blame the victim in cases sible, then young African-Americans will Aaron Paxton know (whether they have a father in their like those of Trayvon Martin, Eric life or not) that they can prove the myth wrong. “One time, I took my daugh- If this positive narrative is shown more, Garner and Michael Brown. maybe and just maybe, those outside (and But if we look at the ground level, black this amazing image -- young black men, ter to a daddy-daughter within) the African-American community will fathers are there all around us. On the with their kids, being playful nurturing fa- event and again was in- look at black men as human beings and not streets and in hip-hop culture, "the Block" is thers. One time, I took my daughter to a as rabble-rousers or criminals. Maybe the celebrated and used to describe a neigh- daddy-daughter event and again was in- spired to see the abundance police, retail establishments, corporate borhood. Black men, young and old, take spired to see the abundance of young black America and our judicial system will then pride in their hood. If you come to my block men and their daughters having the best of young black men and stop racially profiling black men. you will see black fathers and husbands time. I realized that while we still have prob- their daughters having the It sounds naive and far-fetched but one celebrating with their wives and spending lems in our communities, there have for thing is for sure: if we don't show and share quality time with their children. decades been black men who have been best time. I realized that positive stories about black fathers, then the A couple of years ago when I was outside good men, good husbands and of course while we still have problems ugliness of institutional racism will prevail. my home playing with my daughter, some good fathers. America and the world knows for too long of my fellow African-American male neigh- However, this positive picture is rarely in our communities, there the struggles plaguing African-Americans. bors were also outside playing with their shown. It's an oversight that appears to pre- Black men are associated with drugs, kids. vent the constructive narrative from bringing have for decades been black prison incarceration and gun violence. It's It was almost a surreal moment as I begin changes to our communities. What we have men who have been good time for America to learn about the other to think that we were all young black men is an institutionalized racism, which coun- side of African American men -- and it starts in our 30s, married, homeowners and tak- ters those images with negativity and per- men, good husbands and of with telling and celebrating the amazing sto- ing care of our children. petuates an idea that African-American men black men grapple with issues that result in ries of all the great black fathers in our com- Over the years, those commonalities cre- are no good, especially as fathers. more single-parent families. But there has munities. ated a brotherhood and bond between us Now, there is some truth to the stereo- to be another narrative countering this by --Aaron Paxton Arnold, an entrepre- that will last forever. It helps to dispel the types. An article in the New York Times en- showing the positive picture. neur and lifestyle consultant, is the myths and negative statements that are titled "1.5 million black men missing" If we look at some statistics from the Cen- founder of MusicIsMyBusiness. He's often expressed in and out of our commu- describes the disproportionate number of ters for Disease Control and Prevention written for publications such as Forbes nity, like "there are no good black men," black men missing from everyday life ver- (CDC), we learn that: and Fast Company. The opinions ex- "black men don't take care of their kids," or sus their black female counterparts. * Children under the age 5: Black Fathers pressed in this commentary are solely "black men abandon their families." Whether it's due to early deaths, incarcera- prepared and/or ate meals more with their those of the author. Yet, before my very eyes, I was looking at tion, homicide, heart disease or accidents, children vs their white and Hispanic coun- WEEKEND EDITION SPECIAL FATHER’S DAY FOCUS June 10, 2016 Page 2 BLACK FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR CELEBRATES BLACK FATHERS NATIONWIDE WITH UNIQUE GIFT BOX FOR MEN The gifts that make up the gift box come from five different Black-owned businesses 14, 2016 just in time for Fa- ther's Day. Boxes with the About Koils By Nature Benson Watch are priced at Koils by Nature is an affordable, all natural hair & $247 and the boxes without skincare company for all hair types, including curly, the watch cost $97.The Fa- wavy, straight, relaxed, natural hair; color treated and thers Day Box includes: 1 - locked hair, for the entire family. 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Everything you other black owned busi- will need for the special man nesses to come up with a in your life in one amazing beautiful box full of wonder- box. ful products for the men in This Father's Day Box our lives, a great gift for Fa- from Koils By Nature makes ther s Day . the act of giving simple and Koils By Nature products stress free. cater for the entire family Boxes ship on June 13 & and the natural men's care MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY JOURNAL WEEKEND WEDEEITKIEONND Phone: 414-265-5300 (Advertising and Administration) • 414-265-6647 (Editorial) • Website: communityjournal.net • Email: [email protected]/[email protected] MCJ STAFF: Classified Advertising Patricia O’Flynn -Pattillo Jimmy V. Johnson, Sales Rep. Publisher, CEO CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Robert J. Thomas Fr. Carl Diederichs, Rev. Joe Assoc. Publisher McLin, Todd Thomas, Vice Pres. PHOTOGRAPHER: Yvonne Kemp Mikel Holt, Assoc. Publisher Thomas E. Mitchell, Jr., Editor Teretha Martin, Technical ConsultantAdministrative Assis- tant Publisher’s Admin. Assist. Colleen Newsom, Opinion and comments expressed on the Perspectives page do not nec- essarily reflect the views of the publisher or management of the MCJ. Let- ters and “other perspectives” are accepted but may be edited for content and length. WEEKEND EDITION SPECIAL FATHER’S DAY FOCUS June 10, 2016 Page 3 A LIL’ SUMPTIN, SUMPTIN FOR POPS! and @BensonWatch on Insta- online marketplace & mobile appli- world to enjoy and support Black BLACK WATCHMAKER gram, Facebook, and Twitter.