Father’s Day was this weekend. Presidential hopeful Barack Obama spent the holiday with his family. On this occasion, Sen. Obama made a speech in Chicago’s Apostolic Church of God. In this speech, he addressed a problem he sees within the African American community.
“They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it,” he said in the speech.
In the piece, he recounted his own story, growing up without a father and benefiting from having grandparents who were there to help raise him. Still, he mentioned that other children are not as lucky and do not have grandparents who assist single mothers.
“A lot of children don’t get those chances. There is no margin for error in their lives. I resolved many years ago that it was my obligation to break the cycle — that if I could be anything in life, I would be a good father to my girls,” he noted.
While admitting that the government has played a role in hurting the black community, he went further to urge fathers to raise their children without excuses.
“We can’t simply write these problems off to past injustices. Those injustices are real. There’s a reason our families are in disrepair … but we can’t keep using that as an excuse.”
For a full version of the speech, check below:
