Second of two parts.



ABOARD THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN PLANE – Despite earlier criticism for comments he made concerning black fathers, Barack Obama said he remains steadfast in his belief that black men must take greater responsibility in the lives of their children and vowed to keep the pressure on black dads who may be backsliding.

 

“I think people know it’s true,” Obama said in an exclusive interview with BlackAmericaWeb.com. “The question is whether men step up. I hope they do, and I am going to stay on them about it.”


 
On Father’s Day, Obama delivered a speech at the Apostolic Church of God on Chicago’s South Side that some felt was over-the-top in its criticism of black fathers. Several observers said Obama was beating up on “victims” and that he shouldn’t air the black community’s “dirty laundry” in public.


 
But others applauded Obama, saying his message to black fathers was a wake-up call the black community needed to hear.


 
“We need fathers to realize that responsibility does not end at conception,” Obama said in his speech. “We need them to realize that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child -- it’s the courage to raise one.”

 

He has told supporters that more than half of all black children live in single-parent households and that statistics show that children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crimes; nine times more likely to drop out of schools and 20 times more likely to end up in prison.


 
Central to Obama’s message to black Americans is the notion that black men -- and black fathers in particular -- must “step up,” part of Obama’s broader vision that uplifting black communities across the country requires the solid participation of black men in the lives of their families.


 
His core belief is that government cannot -- and will not -- provide all resources for black people and that black men must help raise their children to be good citizens, which will ultimately become a foundation for a stronger black community.


 
Obama told BlackAmericaWeb.com he’s proud to be a role model for black boys across the country.

 

“I grew up without a father in the home, and I know how hard it is for a lot of young men and boys who maybe don’t have a father,” Obama said. “To the extent that I can serve as a role model for them, where parents can say here’s somebody who stayed in school and dreamed big dreams and has accomplished something, I’m happy to be used in that way.”


 
“But ultimately,” Obama added, “the most important role model for anybody is their parents, and one of the things I try to emphasize in this election is the need not only for government responsibility but also individual responsibility and making sure fathers are in the lives of their children.”


 
Obama, who has spent almost two years walking a fine line between talking to all Americans and finding a way to tailor a specific message to African-Americans, said he doesn’t think about making history as possibly the nation’s first black president because for now, with just 14 days before the nation goes to the polls, it’s all about getting elected.

 

“The only thing I think about is the day I’m in,” Obama said, with his senior advisors Linda Douglass, Robert Gibbs and David Axelrod sitting nearby on his campaign plane. “And making sure we’re delivering a message of change and unity and focused on issues that .....

Please Login or Register to post comments on this article

Close Comment  |   Read More Comments Hide More Comments

Comments * :

Please do not enter the HTML tags(Maximum 600 characters).