Dr. Roberta L. Coles is a white college professor and an unlikely advocate for black fathers.
For the better part of a decade she has worked tirelessly collating a large body of research on an often-overlooked group — responsible African American dads, including black single custodial fathers.
Her latest offering is a forthcoming book on social fathers: men who play an important or central role in raising a child.
Unlike traditional definitions that focus on adoptive or stepfathers, Dr. Coles’ book, will include mentors which in the black community often act as role models for kids growing up in female-headed households.
Her most noticeable works on African American fathers are
The Best Kept Secret: Single Black Fathers and
The Myth of the Missing Black Father: The Persistence of Black Fatherhood in America.
While not attempting to romanticize fatherhood, both books set out to challenge negative stereotypes thrust on black males and fathers.
“It’s important to get it out there that that’s not the whole picture,” said Coles, a professor of sociology at Marquette University in Milwaukee. “People need to know there are men out their trying to do their best.”
Coles’ book
The Best Kept Secret: Single Black Fathers puts the spotlight on single custodial fathers who have became lone parents through divorce, widowhood, adoption or cohabiting relationships simply falling apart.
Over five years she interviewed twenty black fathers mainly from Wisconsin who were bringing up their kids alone. What she discovered is many of these men had the option of transferring legal custody to a relative or state custody but significantly they choose to raise their children.
“The most common motivating factor given was they wanted to be the kind of father they had not had,” said Coles. “Some had absent fathers, they saw themselves as not being that father, breaking the cycle.”
“Their stories were so unique, complicated and interesting I feel in love with the project.” Though small in number, their intimate and personal stories provide a necessary counterweight to the predominant image of the absent black father, adds Coles.
She said her journey to research single black fathers was by chance after she discovered one of her students was raising his 9-year-old son alone.
She felt compelled to do more research but soon discovered there hadn’t been anything written on the subject.
theGRIO REPORT - While not attempting to romanticize fatherhood, two new books set out to challenge negative stereotypes thrust on black males and fathers...
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And because of the lack of research, white racists have been able to run their mouths off about a percentage and assume things based on their racist beliefs.