Restructuring African American families in the 1990’s

Many of today’s families are hurting. Here are some reasons why. One reason is divorce. Divorce hurts children in many ways. Chil-dren of divorced parents must learn to cope with the loss of one parent, and sometimes they have to move away from friends and family. That’s hard. Another reason is economics. Parents who lose their jobs and single mothers who don’t make enough money to buy proper food may send their children to school hungry and may risk joining the ranks of the homeless. That’s harder. Still another reason is socialization. Children reared in chaotic families develop serious behavior disorders. They lack structure, autonomy, and self-determination. They learn loneliness, rejection, and dysfunctional behavior. That’s hardest. —Barker, speech, 1993 The family unit is the most powerful predictor of human behavior (Barker, 1993). It has an enduring impact on the development of individuals. The family shapes a child’s personality, attitudes, and beliefs (Thorrnan, 1982, p. 1). The customs handed down by parents, culture, religious tenets, and society provide the founda-tion by which families function (A. G. Hilliard III, personal com-munication, November 3, 1990). The social functioning of the family is one precursor to the individual’s later interactions and socialization practices (Barker, 1991). The foundation of the family shapes the child’s perceptions, understanding, and personality. Family habits and the child’s reactions to these behaviors become so en-meshed that they become determinants for the child’s constitutiona