There is no institution on the face of the earth more sacred than the institution of marriage. It is the most basic and essential building block of a strong and healthy society. God created the family structure to be between a man and a woman to live in harmony and love together until separated by death. We have seen a decline in marriage rates between black men and black women. This has resulted in the breakdown of the black family. 

Black men and Black women marry much later in life, are increasingly likely never to marry, more likely to divorce and today are most likely to shack up prior to a first marriage. When you ask the Black man why this is so he responds: “the Black woman has too much lip!” When you ask the Black woman why this is so she responds: “To find a good available Black man is like finding a hen with teeth!” 

One of the reasons so many Blacks are failing to marry is because the milk is free. An old lady once put it like this: “Why buy the cow if the milk is free?” Too many young black women are willing to have sex outside of marriage. Once you give yourself to a man outside of marriage your chances of becoming his wife are slim to none. If he says that he doesn’t want to marry a pig in the bag then tell him to marry someone else. “This pig is staying in the bag!” He will respect you more if you keep it in the bag. 

President Lyndon B. Johnson affirmed the importance of family values in an address at Howard University in 1965. President Johnson said: 

             The family is the cornerstone of our society. More than any other force it shapes the attitude, the hopes, the ambitions and the values of the child. And when the family collapses, it is the children that are usually damaged. When it happens on a massive scale the community itself is crippled.

Since President Johnson made that speech 41-plus years ago the Black family in America has been almost destroyed. 

 In America:

---only 34 percent of all children will live with both biological parents through age 18

---70 percent of black babies and 19 percent of white babies are born out of wedlock

---62 percent of mothers with children under age 3 are employed

---72 percent of mothers with children under age 18 currently hold jobs 

There is no one home to raise the kids. What we are seeing today with the escalating rate of crime is the result of “children raising themselves”. 

Most of the crimes that are committed are committed by children without fathers in their lives. We must look for ways to strengthen our families in the black community. How do we do this? Our ministers must instill into their congregation that throughout history the most essential custom for any successful society is that men and women should marry, they should bear children when possible, and they should live Godly lives. The family is the backbone of a civilization!

In the words of my dad: “Stay away from the pig ears and fried pork chops.  Eat more fruits and vegetables.”