CHILD-REARING AND EDUCATION IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS - BLACK FATHERS PERSPECTIVES

In this article, the authors use in-depth interviews of African Americ an fathers in an urban setting to explore their fathering attitudes an d behaviors, From the qualitative data, four general themes emerge: pa ternal beliefs and modes of functioning, strength and resiliency, raci al socialization of children, and fathers as teachers in the home. The findings lend support to the burgeoning reconceptualization of the ro le of the Black father in urban America. The self-descriptions of Afri can American fathers provide evidence that urban African American fath ers are important, vital, and active forces in their children's achiev ement development.