“Roberta, you will never get into Princeton University!” Said my uncle, who laughed as I exited his car. I never thought I would hear those words come from my “favorite” uncle. When he told me this, I had many emotions going through my head. At that moment I felt angry with him and myself because at that moment he made me feel like I was nothing. Where was the faith in me and my ability? This man is my uncle, one who is supposed to be my support system.
My uncle works for the government as a journalist. He is an extremely intelligent man, but is known for being arrogant and selfish. He tends, to make negative comments regarding my father’s level of education and my mother’s job status. Because he is gainfully employed and has more education than my mother does not make him “better.” My father hasn't lived in the same household as me since my freshmen year of highschool. This gives my uncle the opportunity state that the absence of my father is the reason why we struggle. He also believes that my brother and I will follow in his footsteps: We will not be successful.
This story is important because black women are currently being stereotyped as single parents with children, who do not amount to anything. I chose this story because it demonstrates how family can negatively influence people more than strangers. Being part of this experience challenged me to be a better person. It made me rethink who I am, while simultaneously working to prove my uncle wrong.
Completing this project will allow me to hear individual’s stories regarding growing up in single parent households and overcoming struggles despite the odds. The purpose of this study is to find out how living in single parent homes influences the level of success. During this study I plan to create a survey based on living arrangements and academic progress in school.
I chose to do my research paper on this topic because I live in a single parent household. Comments are often aimed at the child instead of the parent. Black television portrays single black mothers with children as individuals who end up selling drugs and engaging in illegal activity.
My question relates to not just in the Black community, but others who work to raise children on their own. This is an important topic because the media shows only the negative side of living in a single parent home, prior to not showing the positive outlook in living in a single parent home. Digging deeper into this topic will give me more information on what those influences are when living in a single parent home. Children and adults who grew up in a single parent home benefit me by giving their story of their success level. This question will solve the problem of the negative outlook of living in a single parent home because there is hope for those living with just one parent. To define my topic- To live in a single parent home, it can influence your level of success.
I plan to mainly focuses on the youth in the black...
