From our friends over at Loop21.com:

With the recession raging on, black men are fighting higher-than-ever unemployment rates. The latest unemployment rates recorded in August 2011 found that unemployment among black males reached 18%, the highest in more than 25 years. But as the ax comes down at work and new opportunities dry up, many black fathers are easing into a new role: stay-at-home dad.

Mohammed Wright, a new stay-at-home dad living in Southern California, was laid off two years ago. His original plan was to hit the pavement, network like mad, and land a new and better-paying job within a few months. But “a few months” turned into several months, and then a year with no good prospects in sight.

Then his wife of three years told him she was pregnant.

“I wrestled with the thought of working versus not working,” says Wright. “On one hand, I knew that with a baby on the way, our lives were going to demand more financial security. On the other, I knew that my family would require a stronger physical and emotional need that was critical to their well-being.”

What did the Wrights decide? Check the rest of the article to see how their family had to make some tough decisions in order to continue to be a strong family.