Historian Dr. Andrew Billingsley discusses the structure and concepts of the Black Family presented in his work, "Climbing Jacob's Ladder". The myth of the vanishing black family is looked at as an inequitable comparison between the larger community structures found in traditional African American families versus the nuclear European family patterns that were developed during the Industrial Revolution. The inherent flaw of the studies, comparing middle class white families with lower class black families, that claim a breakdown of traditional family patterns is also discussed. Guests representing modern African American households include single father Rashid Nuri and married father Shane Salter. Shirley Tabb represents the Department of Human Services on the panel.
