View from
The Right

Black America Won’t Be Saved at the Ballot Box

“As a young black man from Southern California watching the systemic problems ailing my community, I believe that repairing our community must come from within, and the impetus is upon us to repair our culture before it’s too late.”

From Senator Kamala Harris to Mayor Pete Buttegieg to President Donald Trump, 2020 candidates are scrambling to make their pitch to Black America. President Trump, for example, frequently mentions the record levels of black employment that have been achieved since he took office. In April, Mayor Pete Buttegieg plastered his meeting with Civil Rights leader Al Sharpton all over social media. And just this past week, Buttegieg held a town hall meeting in the South of Chicago to discuss race in the United States. (Interestingly, enough, the audience attending the event, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, was “overwhelmingly white”). Meanwhile, other 2020 Democrats from Kamala Harris to Elizabeth Warren have made a stop on The Breakfast Club a must-do on the campaign trail. 

But the root of the problem ailing Black America isn’t going to be solved at the ballot box in this election—or in the elections to come. As a young black man from Southern California watching the systemic problems ailing my community, I believe that repairing our community must come from within, and the impetus is upon us to repair our culture before it’s too late.

Let’s start with some statistics. Compared to white and Hispanic women, black women are more likely to marry later in life, avoid marriage altogether, and get divorced. Almost 70% of black children are now born to unwed mothers. Wedlock, after all, is the superglue of the family, and children in single-parent homes experience increased rates of teen pregnancy, dropping out of school, and getting divorced when they grow up and themselves marry. 

For 52 straight years, black households have ranked dead last in median household income as compared to other ethnic groups in the United States. On top of that issue, 22% of black Americans were living below the poverty line in 2016. This is not to mention the higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse as well poor performance academically that tends to accompany poverty and financial hardship. This is something I see all too often in my own community, even among those I know through the black church I’ve attended my entire life. One single parent family is struggling with a daughter who is failing all of her high school classes with no hopes of graduating. Another child I know, who doesn’t know his father, has been kicked out of three schools, and he’s only seven years old. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to see kids struggle like this all around me. 

Black America has been experiencing a self-inflicted epidemic for over half a century. Unlike those who lay the blame on white Americans or systematic racism, our best hope is to change our emphasis on marriage and—in the process—foster a healthier family dynamic. That is how we end the stereotype of the black child who doesn’t know his father.Before his well-deserved fall from grace, Bill Cosby gave his “Pound Cake Speech” at the NAACP Awards in 2004; in it, he criticized the prevalence of single-parent households and argued that it so negatively affects Black America. 

Although Cosby is not the right messenger, the point remains; we must consistently raise our children with both parents in the home. My siblings and I were blessed enough to be raised this way. My father was raised by both parents, attended church when he was younger, and is now both a systems specialist in the aerospace industry and a lay pastor in our church. My mother is a preschool teacher and church minister. Her parents have now been married for more than fifty years. I’m in that fortunate minority of young black people who had a stable, two-parent upbringing. This, more than anything else, is the most important variable in improving the lot of black Americans.  

It’s the job of parents to show children that marriage is not about changing feelings or convenience—but about the vows that were made in front of God and each other. In the era of social media and two-day shipping, people have become more narcissistic, impatient, and worse at delaying gratification; these qualities spread into other parts of life, like marriage. When marriage feels difficult, one or both quit. We need to remember the letter and spirit of our marriage vows: “For Better or For Worse. For Richer or For Poorer. In Sickness and In Health. Till Death Do You Part.” That is what marriage is, and re-committing black America to recognizing the importance of marriage and two-parent households is step one  

When families break down, all members of the family—but particularly children— try to find love, validation, and acceptance from other places to replace what is lost. Gangs, drugs, premarital sex, and teen pregnancy are just a few of the places where young people look to find acceptance and structure. It was very common before and during the Civil Rights Era for black families to put on their Sunday best and go to church together. It fostered a sense of unity within the families that attended and for the congregation at-large. Churches have historically served as a bedrock of the black community. And back to marriage, social scientists have found that frequently attending religious services is correlated with more satisfying romantic relationships in urban communities. 

Rediscovering our long-standing values, from strong families to religion, will—in parallel—help to improve our popular culture. Take music for example. Black Americans used to enjoy hits such as “Respect” by Aretha Franklin and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye. Now, music along these lines—as well as jazz— has been replaced by rap music that far too often revolves around sex and drugs, while also peppering in profanity. Also, in terms of popular culture today, it is very common to see boys and young men wear their pants exposing their undergarments to the world, as well as girls and young women wearing wearing low cut tops and booty shorts that leave little if nothing to the imagination. That’s not how we should be dressing. Therefore, it’s little surprise that the school uniform movement has been gaining the traction that is has in urban areas..

So why shouldn’t we leave it up to lawmakers and legislation to fix our issues? Politicians have been feeding us lip-service for decades, while our communities are still struggling. These elected officials prefer not to talk about these hard-to-swallow statistics and issues within the black community because they fear being labeled “racist” or “anti-black” and losing votes. We know now that politicians and policy experts aren’t going to solve our problems; loving parents and praying families will. My mother likes say to say to me, “The ball is in your court. What are you going to do?” I think it’s time to ask the same for my entire community.

Solomon Green is a student at California State University, Sacramento. He hosts a podcast called “One More Thing with Solo Green.”

7 thoughts on “Black America Won’t Be Saved at the Ballot Box

  1. Mr. Green, I really like your article and wish that more people, particularly white leftists, would come to the conclusions that you have. Eric Hoffer, “the longshoreman philosopher”, came to similar conclusions in the 1960s. I would highly recommend that you read The Syndicated News Articles by Eric Hoffer, or watch the following, where you can find his thoughts on the matter. Keep up the good work. https://youtu.be/kTcv4HyEY3w

    M. Bybee

    1. I appreciate the feedback. I believe that it is important for people to look at what is in their control and do that to the best of their ability. Black America must focus on our internal problems before we look to “systemic racism” and other excuses. Once we get the Black Family stronger, focus on education and values, and take responsibility for our problems, we will be in a much better position. Share the article to spread the word. Thanks again.

  2. Wow Solomon what a blessing it is to have you speak with such power and authority. You are spot on. We need to turn to God and call on the only true and living God to change and transform families to the wholeness in which God originally intended. The Bible tells us that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Deliverance is possible for the nation. But first we must acknowledge that Salvation only comes through Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life: no man can come to God (the Father) but by Jesus Christ.

    We are very proud of you stay focus son, we love you. Mom

  3. Solomon what a breath of fresh air in this political sensitive world. People of all races, creeds and colors will back off of a topic it is deemed controversial. Not you! Speak Up and speak out. As a Black man of over 70 years; who has seen and lived through a lot of what you have written about, it’s past time for our race to stop denying the pure facts before us. God never intended for Black parents to relinquish our God-given rights to raise our children according to the Bible. It’s gone beyond babies having babies. It’s now so what? Look for a check in the mail from Social Services, The Welfare. What used to be an embarrassment, has become a source of income. Revenue. Our God did not authorize Black parents to have our children listen to filthy, suggestive language on social media, rather than a church hymn. Clothes are intended to cover up our private body parts until Holy marriage. Now our parentless youth expose everything at home, on the way to school, at school, after school and everyplace else.

    I thank God for you calling out the lack of discretion being passed down from one generation to the next.

    Please continue to speak out and to pray for our Black parents of all ages.
    It’s not who you vote for, it’s who you listen to and obey.

  4. Hi Solomon,

    In the interest of full disclosure, I’m a friend of you Dad, a very Good Man. That being said, Solomon you have a talent, you have a distinct voice as a writer.You piece is powerful.

    One point you might be mindful of is: The divorce rate in the US above 50%, that includes both White, Black and all kinds of folks. This has been the statistic for at least the last 20 years.. So broken families, single parent households are now the norm, what’s expected. That’s the systemic problem for everyone. Everyone.

    It’s very dicey, rather difficult to separate cultural stereotypes, particularly for the disenfranchised African American Community. There does seem to be a void of core values, as you say, one symptom being the incidence of unwed mothers, which I presume might be more socioeconomic or the availability of birth control.

    Yes, Church is a viable solution in this problem. Yet, I believe this not a ‘one size fits all’ deal. It’s not for everyone. Bottom line: People, regardless of race, ethnicity or sexual identity, have to grind it out to become their greater than versions of themselves. Just saying. So the real question becomes: Is the young African American Male willing to suck it up, and work to become a Good Man? It’s not easy for anyone. And I would know.

    You talk about the negative influence of rap music and urban fashion. That’s fine. Yet, your narrative occurs as stereotype. I’m a 57 year old Japanese American man, who likes Post Malone and Drake, albeit hip-hop. My point is that Black music and fashion can have a positive influence, one that promotes freedom, even joy. Again, just saying.

    Perhaps, the scope of your article is a bit ambitious in the sense that you address a vast array of cultural themes. Perhaps when we address a complex problem, we need to do so in “baby steps”. I acknowledge your for making a difference in the world.. I’m just older. Learn patience: Take baby steps. Just saying, again.

    I think that cultures regardless of circumstance and social narrative can be defined by their Heroes. I would dismiss the Bill Cosby quote. Dude is not a Good Man; he’s social pariah. Be inspired by Heroes like Lebron James and Barack Obama.

    I love Lebron. Lebron’s sphere of influence includes creating a school for underprivileged kinds in Cleveland. If they do well in school, they get a free ride at Ohio State. He’s the kind of Man I strive to be. Lebron is cross-over inspiration and influence.

    Keep writing Solomon. You have a valuable voice in our community.

    Mahalo,

    Jon

    1. Hi Jon. My dad has told me a lot about you, and from the sound of everything he’s told me, you are a very good man yourself in how you mentor young boys and teach them. I appreciate the feedback and the compliments.

      Your perspective is very interesting and the points you make are very accurate. I will continue to write. Stay tuned.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.