The Theme For April : The Role Of Uncles

Last week, I was listening in on a conversation about the absence of fathers among certain minority groups. A list of social ills were listed. A frightful image of despair and hopelessness emerged. Children without fathers socialized into a cyclical system of unmarried women giving birth to sons and daughters who will continue the cycle.

One thing struck me as the conversation moved to solutions. In the past, cultures that lost the influence of fathers were able to make up for this by the presence of Uncles. Often, this would be a matriarchal Uncle taking on the role of father.

It struck me, that there must also be an absence of Uncles. It is too easy to conclude: the same factors that contribute to the absence of fathers leads to the absence of uncles. This may prove to be the case. However, I want to avoid that assumption in the hope of seeing something new and constructive emerge.