The State of Marital Unions in the African-American Community

Throughout the course of American history, a lot has been said about marriage in the African-American community.  From scientific racism to the Moynihan Report to Tyler Perry, the way we discuss marriage in black America can be difficult and often controversial. The marriage rate has declined for all Americans over the past forty years, but it’s declined much faster in the black community. Why is this? Ralph Richard Banks, a professor at Stanford Law School, think he has the answer. His new book is called “Is Marriage for White People?: How the African American Marriage Decline Affects Everyone.”