By Amanda Blake

he absent black father myth refuses to die. Societal factors, all of which can be traced to systemic racism, conceal the truth and keep the illusion alive.

Yet, the stereotype is undoubtedly false. Research shows that black fathers tend to display higher levels of engagement in their children’s lives than men of other demographic groups in similar parenting situations.

According to a 2013 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, black fathers with co-residential children are more likely than Hispanic and white fathers to bathe, dress, diaper and help their children use the bathroom, transport their kids to and from activities, and help them with homework. In another study conducted in 2011 by the PEW Research Center, researchers stated: “There are some differences by race and ethnicity in the likelihood of talking with their children several times a week about their day. … While almost half (49%) of blacks talk with their children several times a week about their day, the share of Hispanics who do so is 22%, and of whites, 30%.”

Even among groups of low-income, noncustodial fathers who have been incarcerated for not paying child support, black fathers stood above the rest, as revealed by a study published in 2010 in the Journal of Family Studies.

Within the study’s diverse sample of 386 fathers, both black and white fathers found non-cash ways to support their children and held similar views of fatherhood. Yet, the black fathers had more contact with their children than the white fathers, although black noncustodial fathers are less likely to pay child support.

So why won’t the absent black father stereotype die? How can we kill the lie for good? There’s no single solution — there never is when a false idea is fed by prejudice masked as the natural order of things through media, false narratives, and skewed statistics.

The study on noncustodial fathers recommends fatherhood programs increase their focus on non-cash methods of parental involvement, as black men tend to have lower incomes. Quicker courses of action include speaking out against racism, checking one’s own biases, and supporting efforts highlighting black fatherhood, such as Dove Men+Care’s #CelebrateBlackDads social media initiative.

Perhaps the most effective action is that which only a black father can take: staying involved. Recognize that a fatherly presence is necessary for child development, and that the obstacles in your way — whether caused by shame, distance, or lack of finances — are not obstacles in your child’s eyes. The odds are not against you. And neither is the ultimate Father.

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31,NIV)

AMANDA BLAKE is a journalism major in the School of Journalism and Communication (SJC) at Southern Adventist University. She is also the editor-in-chief of the Southern Accent, the university’s student-led newspaper. She wrote this article as part of an Interactive Journalism class at the SJC.