It Takes an Organization

As parents and children prepare to go back to school this week, organizations like this one are urging black men to own up to their responsibilities as fathers and not "baby daddies." The Million Father March whose first plea to black men took place in the 2005 - 2006 academic year and is once again urging its participants to take their kids to school and introduce themselves to teachers. The organization has participants from over 100 cities including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

The National Center for Education tells us that parental involvement in a child's academic career increases literacy. To go one step further parental involvement in the lives of their children makes a positive difference whether the Center tells us that or not. Encouraging black men to take their children to school, while a nice idea, should not require public officials to hold a press conference doing just that. But then again we are talking here about Mayor Ernest Davis and his ability to turn common sense issues into issues that will bring out more black votes. I'm somewhat surprised that there is an organization that has formed around this issue. Why do black men need an organization to tell them to do the right thing? Why do black men have to march to do the right thing? Someone explain this to me like I'm a six year old.