Father Day Speech Analysis

President Barack Obama’s Father Day speech argues the importance of black fathers engaging in raising their children. He states, “They are teachers and coaches. They are mentors and role models. They are examples of success and the men who constantly push us toward it,” meaning fathers help us strive to reach our goals (Obama, 2008). Furthermore, Obama urges black fathers to become more engaged in their children lives. President Obama begins his speech by emphasizing the importance of family, and elaborating on how fathers are the foundation of family. In addition, Obama brings up the fact that half of black children grow up in a single mother-headed household. He believes that this is a major problem and to demonstrate his point on why this is a problem, President Obama brings up the disparity between black children that grow up with fathers and those who do not. He finds that children who grow up without fathers are more likely to face hardship and/or become delinquent. As a result, Obama believes that …show more content…
In Obama’s Father Day speech, he urges black fathers to take on more responsibility for their children. This topic is covered at length in the book, Daddies and Fathers written by Frank Furstenberg. Furstenberg refutes the argument that black men do not want to be responsible parents. To prove his argument, he conducted a survey in which he found that both black men and black women agree that they are obligated to take care of their children. This responsibility is exhibited by President Obama who himself is a black father that nurtures his children. To further underscore this responsibility towards his children, Obama writes, “My life revolves around my two little girls” (Obama, 2008). Thus, the theme presented in Obama’s Father Day speech, overlays with the point Furstenberg tries to make in Daddies and Fathers, that Black men feel obligated and want to take care of their