Sometimes I hate stories like these.  Maybe it’s because I’ve been weary of the Census ever since I learned about all of its flaws in a class my freshman year at SC, or maybe it’s because it publishes stats that can lead to this:

The number of black children being raised by two parents appears to be edging higher than at any time in a generation, at nearly 40 percent, according to newly released census data [...] According to the bureau’s estimates, the number of black children living with two parents was 59 percent in 1970, falling to 42 percent in 1980, 38 percent in 1990 and 35 percent in 2004. In 2007, the latest year for which data is available, it was 40 percent. [NYT]

 

I guess the NYT wants us to feel like it’s a good thing that two-parent black families are on the rise (and really it is) but call it suspicion, or my tendency to look for conspiricies (or maybe I’m trippin’) but I don’t like it.  I’m sensing a  hidden agenda, especially since the NYT admits that this information is old.  So, what’s the deal? Why is this suddenly new news? [Warning: here's where my inner conspiracist chimes in]

 

When I read stories like these I feel like the media is telling black folk: pump your brakes, don’t get too excited about this new First Family thing.  Yes, I just brought Obama into this, but hear me out. Sure the story is about an increase in the number of two-parent black households, but if you subtract 40 from 100 percent, like my brain can’t help but do, you’re left with 60 percent of black families that ultimately aren’tlike the Obamas.  And, when you compare that number to the 77 percent of white families with two-parent households, that 40 percent doesn’t look good at all.

 

Let’s take it back for a second; prior to, and even after the election, there was a lot of talk about how good it was to see a solid black family unit in such a prominent position.  Even though my parents have been together for almost 25 years, and most of my black friends were raised in two-parent households, I joined in the chorus about how good it was to see  Barack and Michelle with little Sasha and Malia tagging along.   They represent what many black folk claim they don’t see too often, except on “The Cosby Show.” Now it seems the Times wants to remind us that we’re all not living like the Huxtables. I see, “remember now,the Obamas are the exception, not the rule, and here’s the proof – 40 percent, son.”

 

There has always been the assumption (with plenty of studies to back it up) that children raised in two-parent households fare better than those who are not. So in that context, under the guise of two parent households being superior to single-parent households,  my gut reaction is that the Times is letting black folk know that our shit still stinks, for lack of a better phrase.  Now I just wonder how soon it will be before they run a story on how Obama can (or can not) clear up the funky smell?

Tags: Black Families, Census Bureau, New York Times, Obamas, The Cosby Show