Dear Editor:
After reading the commentary “A Black Father’s Plea,” I thought I would write to give my two cents because I felt conflicted while reading it. This article makes many assumptions about who is responsible for gun violence in our communities, primarily African American fathers. However, it fails to ask why they are absent or what is the cause of their absence. Historically speaking, African Americans have been a marginalized population without access to equitable conditions in our nation. Those inequities might have something to do with the alleged absence of African American fathers.
Perhaps these fathers have had to move away to find job opportunities? Perhaps they are incarcerated after turning to crime due to a lack of opportunity in their communities? Perhaps they were lost to drug abuse or crime? My point is that there is likely a reason these fathers are not around to safeguard their communities. A more productive way of looking at this dilemma would be to find out why these fathers are absent rather than simply blaming them for being absent. It has been my experience that more good comes from addressing the root of an issue rather than a symptom of it.
Food for thought
Danielle Andersen
Cincinnati
Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this commentary piece do not necessarily the express the opinions of The Cincinnati Herald.