The strength of our mothers

the long version

This ambitious anthology marshalls mountains of anthropological and sociological data to elucidate the essence of the Black family both in the Americas and in the African motherland. The author interprets the differences between African-American and Euro-American family patterns not as deviations from some pristine, universal, ideal family structure, but rather as a function of the ongoing survival strategy of a vibrant tradition that has weathered centuries of social upheaval. Only the enduring African communal principles of "respect, restraint, responsibility, reciprocity, reverence, reason, and reconciliation" could have ensured the survival of the far-flung "African-American Community" as it was uprooted from one continent, transplanted in another, and woven inextricably into the fabric of the same trans-Atlantic empire that sought to drain it dry. Anyone seeking to shore up - or to "reinvent" - the institution of the family in our inherently and increasingly diverse world will do well to read this book before making any sweeping generalizations about "family values."