The Vanishing Family facts for kids

The Vanishing Family: Crisis in Black America is a CBS News special report hosted by Bill Moyers that aired in January 1986. It explores changes in African-American family structure at a time when 60% of Black children were born to single mothers.

The Vanishing Family received numerous awards and widespread acclaim from newspaper columnists. Its influence led Sen. Bill Bradley (D–NJ) to introduce the Bradley Amendment, which since its passage in 1986 has enforced the provision of child support.

Summary

Moyers interviews several unwed Black mothers in Newark, New Jersey and explores the dynamics of their families. The special also includes a discussion about social welfare programs. The program includes commentary from Dr. George Jackson of Howard University, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Georgetown University Professor of Law Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Harvard University Professor of Political Economics Glenn Loury.

Legacy

Authors Kathryn Edin and Timothy J. Nelson credit The Vanishing Family with the introduction of the Bradley Amendment, a legislative amendment that prohibits retroactive reduction of child support obligations.

Bob Ehrlich sees The Vanishing Family as validating the concerns from Daniel Patrick Moynihan, whose 1965 publication The Negro Family: The Case for National Action had attracted criticism.