Today is World AIDS Day, a day when individuals and organizations from around the world come together to bring attention to the global AIDS epidemic.

Eradicating AIDS is something that I am passionate about because African Americans are disproportionately affected by this deadly disease. The AIDS epidemic among African Americans in some parts of the United States is as severe as in parts of Africa.

Here are some startling facts about African Americans and HIV/AIDS:

• The HIV/AIDS infection rate among Black men is 6 times that of white men and the rate among Black women is 16 times that of white women
• AIDS now accounts for 1 in 3 deaths among Black men aged 25 to 44
• More children with AIDS are Black than all other race and ethnic groups combined
• Every day in the U.S. about 100 people of color become infected with HIV
• More than two-thirds of all women in the U.S. who are infected with the AIDS virus are Black
• Blacks represent 57% of all new AIDS cases in the United States, though comprising only 13% of the population
• AIDS is the leading cause of death for Black women

If you are an African American, or anyone else for that matter, and have not been tested for HIV, please do so.

The Black AIDS institute has a program designed to test 1 Million African Americans by June 27, 2010.

Also, visit these websites to learn more about the AIDS epidemic and what you can do to help:

• 2008 World AIDS Day
• Black AIDS Institute
• AIDS.gov

Stay Strong,
Mocha Dad

Question: Do you know anyone who has been affected by HIV/AIDS?

Barack Obama is the President-Elect of our country. All I can say is, “Wow!” An African-American will be the leader of the free world.

I’m glad that Obama won the way that he did. Not only did he win by a landslide, but he won in traditionally Republican states. Now no one can say that he is the African-American president or the Democratic president. This mandate gives him the authority to say the he is the president for all Americans.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was ambivalent about Obama and his policies, but I fully understood the significance of his candidacy. What his nomination taught us is that the nation has changed in ways that would have been unthinkable a few years ago. In 1978, when I was in third grade, I was bussed to a predominantly white magnet school. I was one this first African-American students to attend the school. When we arrived, we were greeted by protesters who made it clear that they didn’t want us there. What a difference 30 years make.

My wife and children have been utterly obsessed with Obama and his family. My wife bought bumper stickers, built slide-shows to send to her associates, and spent countless hours reading blogs and news reports. One night she came into the bedroom boiling with anger. She had just read a letter from Dr. James Dobson’s organization Focus on the Family. The letter was filled with fear-mongering, hate and misinformation. Reading this letter hurt my wife deeply because she respected Dr. Dobson and his dedication to preserving family values. She wrote her own letter in defense of Obama and sent it to Dr. Dobson to express her displeasure at his inflammatory comments. After the election results were in, she was so happy that she was close to tears.

My daughter, who has followed the campaign from the start, came home very upset one day because one of her second grade classmates called her weird because she said she was voting for Obama. She also told my wife and me that the class gasped in horror when another little girl stood up and voiced her support for Obama. Today, they will be vindicated.

Even my five year old has been proclaiming his support for Obama. He was a bit disappointed when my wife informed him that he could not actually vote because he wasn’t old enough. He said that he would vote for Obama when he turns eighteen. I didn’t have the heart to dash his dreams.

A world of possibilities has opened up for my children. Now they can aspire to be anything they want to be including president of the United States. I love the following quote because it speaks so much truth: Rosa Parks walked so Martin Luther King could walk. Martin Luther King walked so Barack Obama could run. Barack Obama ran so our children could fly.

America is the greatest country in the world. I am overjoyed that Americans were able to place their racial differences aside and usher in a new era of change. Regardless of political affiliation, every American should be proud. I know I am. God Bless America!

Stay Strong,
Mocha Dad

P.S. - My daughter, Nee, never wants to get up when my wife, K, wakes her up for school. K thought for sure that the news of Obama’s victory would cause Nee to jump out of bed. 

“Wake up,” K said. “Barack Obama won. He is president.”

Nee rolled over the in bed as said, “That’s not going to make me want to get out of the bed. If you told me that you had a new doll for me, that would make me want to get out of the bed.”

I guess Obama trails Barbie among 7-year old girls.

I grew up poor. That fact became quite obvious to me when I started attending gifted schools in the wealthier areas of town. While all of the other kids had the latest fashions and the newest Atari video game systems, I had to settle for the clothes and toys that my mother could afford.

My mother was intent on breaking this cycle of poverty by making sure that I took advantage of every educational opportunity available. She could always find extra money for me to go on a field trip, attend art classes, or participate in computer camp. Her sacrifices enabled me to earn a college degree and obtain a career that allows me to live a comfortable life. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough African American parents who realize the correlation between education and poverty.

The percentage of African Americans living in poverty increased from 2000 to 2006 by an average of 0.82% per year, after having declined by an average of 1.25% per year in the 1990s. In 2006, 24% of African Americans were in poverty compared to 8% of whites.

Poverty rates were highest for families headed by single women, particularly if they were black or Hispanic. In 2004, both black and Hispanic female-headed households had poverty rates just under 40 percent.

These high poverty rates are unacceptable and should not occur in a country as wealthy as the United States. It is imperative that parents teach their children to value education and to take advantage of every opportunity to learn. It is well documented that people with a college education earn more money over their lifetime than people who do not. Education is truly the key to ending the cycle of poverty.

If you want to know what you can do to prevent poverty, start by reading a book to your child. It’s never too early to instill a love of learning.

Stay Strong,
Mocha Dad

I read several blogs each day and I’m amazed by the talent that I encounter. I recently came across a blog titled iAMrj.com. I was immediately drawn into the author’s post, “A father’s take on things that matter most.” The piece is insightful and heartfelt. It is the type of post I wish I had written for Mocha Dad. Have a look at it and let me know what you think.

Stay Strong,
Mocha Dad

I am not a murderer. I have never killed anyone, nor do I intend to. But a little boy made me feel as if I should, if I am to be a real man.

I met him at a basketball court where several young ballers came to play. Running up and down the court to the rhythm of rap tracks, the men dunked and dazzled. Their intensity was high, their competitiveness fierce. No one dared step foot on the court while these playground gladiators did battle; no one except a little boy and his three friends.

The little boys scurried onto the court and began to play as if the older, bigger, stronger guys weren’t even there.

“Whose kids are these,” asked a sculpted, dunking machine who had been dominating the court. No one answered. He told the kids to move, and they did, for about a minute.

When the players ran back to the other side of the court, the rowdy pack reconvened underneath the basket. Clearly upset, the dunk master demanded that someone remove the kids. Since my team played next, I volunteered to corral them. As I gathered the kids, the dunk master glared at me as if to say, “Don’t let those kids back on the court, or else.” He returned to his game and immediately punctuated his threat with a rim-shaking tomahawk dunk. I ignored his posturing and focused on the kids who were clamoring around to interrogate me.

Their first few questions such as, “What’s your name?” and “How old are you?” were typical of children with curious minds. These questions were easy. The ones from that one particular boy, however, were much tougher.

His first question was, “Are you a man?”

“Yes,” I proudly proclaimed. “I am a man.”

The little boy’s demeanor turned serious as he gazed into my eyes and asked, “Have you ever killed anyone?” I hesitated for a second to process what I had just heard. Was he serious? What would make him ask such an unusual question? Surely I did not look like a killer, at least I hope not.

Finally regaining my composure, I answered, “No, I’ve never killed anyone.”

“Then how can you be a man if you’ve never killed anyone?” My heart dropped. I tried to respond, but my voice failed me. I stood frozen staring into his innocent-looking brown eyes searching for an answer to his dark question. What must he have seen in his short life that made him equate manhood with murder?

The little boy did not wait for my answer; instead, he darted off to play on the swings with his playmates. I watched that little boy swing until my vision became blurry. If not for my teammate hitting me on the calf with the basketball I would still be standing there.

“What’s wrong with you?” my friend asked. “It’s our turn to play.”

“I don’t feel like playing,” I said still staring at the little boy, who was now running down the street.

This event occurred over a decade ago; however, it still haunts me, especially now that I have boys of my own. What are we teaching our children about black manhood? Is being a criminal the only thing little African American boys have to look forward to?

The answer is obviously “no,” but it will take a concerted effort by African American fathers across the country if we are to change perceptions about black men and demonstrate true manhood to our children. Our young men are coming of age in an increasingly violent society, but instead of shunning the violence, they seem to embrace it. This is why it is critical for young black males to have positive role models whom they can emulate and respect so they can learn to express themselves and solve conflicts without violence. Dads have to be those role models.

Raising boys is hard work, but well worth the effort. I look forward to the day when someone asks my sons if they are men, and they can answer, “Yes I am a man! Just like my daddy.”

I have not seen that little boy since that fateful day, but I wish I could so I could tell him that he doesn’t have to be a murderer to be a man. I pray it’s not too late.

Stay Strong,
Mocha Dad

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My blog’s title is obviously a play on Mocha Moms, a support group for mothers of color who have chosen not to work full-time outside of the home in order to devote more time to their families. I respect their mission and focus, but I think it’s time that black fathers have a voice. I’m not talking about baby daddies; I’m talking about bonafide black daddies who are committed to raising strong, moral, successful children despite cultural and social pressures. Being a black man in America ain’t easy. Nor is being a father. Combine the two and you have a potentially stressful situation that causes many to abdicate their responsibilities. I want to celebrate the men who accept this challenge every day.

This blog will allow me to to post my observations, good or bad, on the state of black fatherhood and the black family. I don’t claim to be an expert on these topics; however, raising three children of my own has given me enough experiences to share. Even if I didn’t have kids, I could spend days commenting on stories in the news and on the web.

I have done many things in my life and nothing comes close to the joy that I have received from raising my kids. I know there are many brothas who feel the same way.

I hope you enjoy this blog and visit often. Feel free to post your comments and let me know what you think about it.

Finally, I want to give a shout out to Joyce Davis. Her blog Enjoycinglife encouraged me to start writing again.

Stay strong,
Mocha Dad