The No. 1 item on that list — “and probably the most important,” he said — had to do with out-of-wedlock births.
“Just because you can have a baby, it doesn’t mean you should,” Lemon said. “Especially without planning for one or getting married first. More than 72 percent of children in the African-American community are born out of wedlock. That means absent fathers. And the studies show that lack of a male role model is an express train right to prison and the cycle continues.”
Lemon’s commentary inspired a firestorm of criticism on social media — the website Mediaite published a sampling — and bloggers took aim at his conclusions.
“If Lemon really wanted to help the black community, he could start by adopting a deeper understanding of the history, sociology and psychology of his own people,” wrote Washington Post blogger Rahiel Tesfamariam. “Offering made-for-TV analysis about deeply complex social issues in the manner in which he did is irresponsible and lacks intellectual rigor.”
We can’t check Lemon’s opinions, but we did want to take a look at the one verifiable fact he offered. Is it correct that “more than 72 percent of children in the African-American community are born out of wedlock”?
We turned to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which publishes a report every year that includes a wealth of data about births in America. The most recent report, published in August 2012, is based on data from 2010.
The report broke down statistics by ethnic groups. Here’s a summary
| Racial or ethnic group | Percent of births considered “non-marital” |
|---|---|
| Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders | 17 percent |
| Non-Hispanic whites | 29 percent |
| Hispanics | 53 percent |
| American Indian and Native Alaskans | 66 percent |
| Non-Hispanic blacks
|
73 percent |
29839 Sta Margarita Pkwy, 
Videography by Barbara Rosenfeld 
June 22nd, 2020 @ 2:09 am
Very good summation here, Orly!
It almost makes one wonder why we have to put up with this kind of activity!
And I want to say that as a white person myself, I’ve never been married and I have a great deal more self discipline then most of them!
June 22nd, 2020 @ 3:23 am
Orly:…
My sentiments exactly!