>Come on. We never had nuclear families. This isn't "Leave It
>to Beaver" or "Father Knows Best" and that's a good thing.

It's called "The Black Family in Slavery and Freedom" by Herbert Gutman.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0394724518/104-7289688-1027917?v=glance

This book shows that slavery did not destroy the black family as is the common perception. We maintained a strong commitment to the nuclear family throughout slavery and in the antebellum period.

Heres a review of the book, you can Google the title and find more: http://home.arcor.de/civici01a/teaching/osi/davis.htm

Granted, the Black family has never been "Leave it to Beaver," but the breakdown of the family to the degree that we see today is not a cultural trait that you can trace back to slavery, in fact it's a far more recent phenomenon. Don't take my word for it though, get this book.

The lack of a nuclear family is a "good thing"? C'mon now, you have to know better than that.
1. Poverty. 60% of Black children live in poverty, mostly because they live in a house with one income. In fact, two-income black households make almost as much as two-income white households.
2. Lack of Dicipline. This is going to offend the hell out of you liberal sensibilities, but the household is generally more discipline when there's a father in the home. The mother can't lay down the law like the father can.
3. Supervision. The mother is working long hours to take care of the family, and nobody's watching the kids.
4. Inability to get involved in the child's education. Same as 3.
5. Lack of a positive male role model. Obvious bad consequences for boys and girls.
6. Kids end up repeating what the experience growing up. The father bounces, the mother doesn't think she needs him. Thus, the Black family goes on a downward spiral.

I really could go on and on. Whatever you personal choices may be, do you seriously beleive that we can have a stong community without having stong families?

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“The Negro pays for what he wants and begs for what he needs.” -Kelly Miller