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.