When we think about child support we think of it in terms of the collection system set up. In 1975, President G. Ford who was a product of divorce parents whose father didn’t continue his financial obligation after he hit the road jack like the Ray Charles song. Yes Black fathers didn’t invent running away scott free from their obligation, white men are included but rarely ever mentioned in their absence.
This law was supposed to be put in place to secure the financial future of the now single mother of multiple children at the time, because likely my girl didn’t work because laws were and some still are very misogynistic and that just the truth. A bad bitch couldn’t own a damn bank account, shit but that’s another story because unlike the white folks who separated families during slavery there was this new epidemic that kept fathers and mothers at odds, but not establishing the new baseline for support which was originally designed for divorced couples. All of this ended with the government and yet again they got in their feelings and got mad and started the no at fault divorce and then niggas (white men too) start leaving their problems behind (I mean wives and children) without ever looking back. Shit, was kind of crazy when you think about the emotions and child hood trauma established this law anyway. Thanks, President Ford.
Well, not really because as a African American mother who often more than likely is mistaken for a single parent, but a bitch gots a man or should I say husband, the years of child support laws were established would cause many of children to play Steve Harvey in our family feud about how niggas ain't shit & how we viewed our mother as independent women *cues webbie* which would factor into the very strong message of “niggas aint shit but hoes and trick” and divide us yet again!
That wasn’t enough though, here’s where I drop my damn sermon and ask praise and worship team to hum “I surrender all” or not just yet, but the organ is going. These white men - because those are most of your state representatives- and some white women with a splash of color got this bright idea to now have a law that monitors support payments.
THE PAYMENTS THAT WERE NEEDED TO SUPPORT THE NEWLY DIVORCE WIFE AND CHIDREN they had left. (I guess it is cheaper to keep her huh)
The personal responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliations Act of 1996 which in terms can be called “Put my baby daddy in jail act” was established and now harsher punishments, garnished wages, income tax snatched and more are now being done to fathers and mothers cause a mother can walk the fuck out too.
*Keys of the organ* Now .. umm hmm… only now ummm hmm.. we have the another way to criminalized the black man … * cure organ .. now, we established law to make sure these mother fuckers pay good money, but also in embarrassment * wipes sweat from my brow* now every baby mother will receive their DUE! Somebody tap your neighbor and say DUE! Nope that’s not what happened as the organ slows down and its dead silence because I am at the part of the program where I am asking Black men and woman are we LIVING. Jesus is the truth, the way, and the light, but the truth is. . .
We been humiliated by a system that wasn’t created of wedlock babies. It was created for babies made because we’ve been with a nigga 10+ years and hoping that playing wife we’ve proved ourselves. It was established to protect a demographics that looks very different from us, but yet we make up at least 30% of those who are a part of this system that throws fathers in jail. Mine went for back child support and I ain't never get a dime, but this shit ain't about my pops or maybe it is.
Now Mama’s I ain't saying don't handle ya handle *takes off my robe and puts on my Dr. Umar school of Douglas and Garvey Institute uniform, but I am saying wtf are we doing? & how can we keep the White man out or business?