Research on the African-American Family
Encyclopedia
Research on the African-American Family, by Robert Hill, published in 1968, is the counter-point to The Moynihan Report, or The Negro Family: The Case For National Action
The Negro Family: The Case For National Action
The Negro Family: The Case For National Action, also known as the Moynihan Report was written by then-sociologist and later U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and released in 1965...

. In this report, Hill talks about both the strengths and the difficulties in the African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 home.

In his report, Hill speaks of the five major strengths of Black families:
  1. Strong religious
    Religion
    Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...

     orientation
  2. High Aspiration
    Hope
    Hope is the emotional state which promotes the belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. It is the "feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best" or the act of "look[ing] forward to with desire and reasonable confidence" or...

     Rate: aspirations to achieve more than they "ought" to aspire considering situation
  3. Role Exchange: women are not afraid to support the family if men are not able.
  4. Kinship
    Kinship
    Kinship is a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin, through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. And descent groups, lineages, etc. are treated in their own subsections....

     Circle: extended family in the black community
  5. Willingness to Work


While the report never received a great amount of notice, it was known and played an influential role in changing welfare in order to allow the opportunity for black families to become more cohesive. Before this report, a family could not receive welfare if there was an able-bodied man in the household, so some men would live out of the house so that their families could receive the welfare.

See also

  • Black matriarchy
    Black matriarchy
    Black matriarchy was a popular stereotype in the 1950s and 1960s that exemplified black American family structure. This ideology depicted traditional black American households as being dominated and controlled by outspoken and emasculating women....

  • American family structure
    American family structure
    The American family structure is considered a traditional family support system involving two married individuals providing care and stability for their biological offspring. However, this two-parent, nuclear family has become less prevalent, and alternative family forms have become more common....

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