In a 2008 Father’s Day speech, then presidential candidate Barak Obama attributed many of the problems in the African American community to absentee fathers: “If we are honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that what too many fathers are missing—missing from too many lives and too many homes. They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it.” (CNN, June 27, 2008). Comedian and author Bill Cosby received both praise and criticism when he expressed the same concerns. But they were not the first to raise the issue in recent years. The Morehouse Conference on African-American Fathers released an important statement entitled Turning the Corner on Father Absence in Black America (1999). William Raspberry, the keynote speaker, said, “Are black fathers necessary? Damn right we are!” The conference called on the nation as a whole to support the movement to “reconnect fathers and strengthen families.” The statement urges Congress to pass legislation that would authorize more funds for community-based fatherhood programs promoting both marriage and marriageability, especially for young, poorly educated, low-income men. The funds would also be used for employment and parental-skills training. The statement exhorts the federal, state, and local governments and the leadership of the African American community to recognize the high priority of restoring the African American family. It encourages civil rights organizations to move this issue to the top of their agendas and bring the same intense dedication to rebuilding African American families as they have to obtaining basic civil rights. Statement coauthor Enola Aird said, “As an African American mother, all I can say is, it’s about time. The heartrending crisis of African American father absence that African American children suffer has cultural, economic, and spiritual roots. Addressing all of these to strengthen marriage and fatherhood in the African American community should be our most urgent priority.”