Radical elements in our society have spent the last several decades tearing down masculinity and diminishing the role of the father in the nuclear family. We are now seeing the rotten fruits of their labor.
A child that grows up without their father in the home is immediately at greater risk of going to prison, dropping out of school, developing a drug addiction, and living in poverty — just to name a few.
I was stunned, though I shouldn’t have been, to see just how significant of a correlation there is between fatherlessness and the prison population.
You won’t be surprised to know that communities with the largest percentages of single-parent homes also have the highest incarceration rates.
Young black men have the highest incarceration rates in the United States. Black Americans make up just 13 percent of the U.S. population but are 38 percent of the people in jails and prisons.
Black people are about 5 times more likely than whites to be imprisoned. Conversely, black children are about 5 times more likely than white children to grow up in a single-parent home. Coincidence?
Nearly 50 percent of black children live only with their mother, compared to 24.5% of Hispanic children and 16.7% of white children, according to the DOJ’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
As you can see above, the Hispanic community follows a similar trend and are the second-most likely group to be incarcerated during their lifetime.
Obviously, nothing as complicated as race and socioeconomics can be boiled down to a single issue. There are a multitude of factors that go into why society operates in the ways that it does, including past injustices.
However, it would be foolish to dismiss what the data suggest about the importance of getting more fathers in homes.
I’m keenly aware that there will be some people who argue that it is “racist” to even share these statistics. We’re not interested in fake moral superiority with zero solutions here. We want to build MEN and raise up communities.
In fact, one might argue that the statistics here show there is a much bigger factor at play than race when it comes to keeping young men out of prison: the fathers.
So, what can we do besides be strong, present fathers within our own households? I’m glad you asked.
Like I said, we can complain about things are and argue about how they got that way, or we can roll up our sleeves and get to work.
I recently connected with a young man who chose the latter. His name is King Randall. God is doing big things through him.
In 2019, Randall founded The Life Preparatory School for Boys, a non-profit boarding school for at-risk youth. What he told me blew my mind: Roughly 98% of students DO NOT HAVE FATHERS. This is yet more correlation.
The school is entirely non-profit. Using only donations, Randall is helping making MEN in Albany, GA. He is stepping in where these boys' fathers have failed. It's meaningful and vital work.
"We do not teach victimhood,” he says.
Randall posted something recently that really hit home for me:
“Just because what happened to you isn't your fault, doesn't mean improving your situation isn't your responsibility.”
This is where you come in.
We, as blessed men, have a duty to pay it forward and help those who have a more treacherous climb ahead of them.
The Life Preparatory School for Boys needs donations. The school was recently looted and severely vandalized. They are trying to keep the lights on. I would personally love the mission to be expanded and see these schools all across the country in at-risk communities.
I want to be clear that I am not affiliated with King Randall or The Life Preparatory School for Boys in any way. When God stirs my hearts, I listen and obey.
If you are blessed enough to give and your heart is moved to help, please consider making a donation here.
God bless every single one of you,
Jason Howerton
Founder, High Value Dad
