MarriageTweets

Joy Jones, the author of “Marriage is for White People,” says that African American women comprise the segment of people in America least likely to marry. “When society debates what children need in order to grow into healthy, happy, productive, well-adjusted adults, a lot of things are typically listed as essentials: access to healthcare, a good education, nutrition, jobs, safe neighborhoods. But often missing in the discussion is the very foundation from which all these things flow, and that is this: What’s most important to a child’s well-being is a stable family that can provide a child with love, guidance, financial support and security. And in most instances, the most stable families are those with married partners raising their own children. Yes, children do better with married parents together.” The urgency is clear – marriage is a key predictor of human well-being and the common good and is, therefore, demanding attention in the African American community. But given the implications of the high rates of unwed childbearing nationwide, irrespective of race, a sense of urgency ought to animate us all.