Being a single mother is no easy feat. Raising children alone and in broken homes has proven difficult for women around the world. These difficulties seem to multiply when single motherhood takes place in an African American family. Why does this happen? Is it self-inflicted or is there something deeper in the minds of black women that subconsciously leads some to become single black mothers? I seek to better understand the dynamics of Black single motherhood from a psychological and sociological perspective. By looking at the works of philandering theologians it is hoped that a solution to these difficulties may emerge. Sociological statistics show that: In 1950, 17% of African American children lived in a home with their mother but not their father. By 2010 this percentage had increased to 50%. In 1965, only 8 percent of births in the black community occurred outside of marriage. In 2010 that figure was 41%; and today, out-of-wedlock births in the black community reach an astonishing 72%. In 1950, the number of African American women who were married and living with their spouse was 53%. In 2010 the percentage dropped to 25%” (Lloyd). Sociological data clearly shows that the black family is slowly but surely deteriorating, especially in terms of destroyed homes. From 1950 to today, the number of black children living with their mother alone has nearly tripled. This phenomenon can be attributed to many factors. The absence of fathers, combined with the independence we see in Black women, are two main reasons contributing to this problem. These two ideas date back to before the 20th century, when slavery was in full force. “Social theorists argue that slavery led to disorganization… middle of paper… a process of internalized oppression and multigenerational transmission in African American families. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 12, 230 –242. Phelps, Jamie T. “Joy Has Come in the Morning… Confronting the Evil of Social Sin and Socially Sinful Structures.” In A Troubling in My Soul: Womanist Perspectives on Evil and Suffering, pp. 48-50. Edited by Emilie M. Townes. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1993. Pyke, Karen D. "What Is Internalized Racial Oppression and Why Don't We Study It? Recognizing the Hidden Wounds of Racism." Sociological Perspectives 53.4 (2010): 553. Print.Ruggles, Steve. "The Origins of the African-American Family Structure." American Sociological Review 59.1 (1994): 136. Print.Thomas, Linda E. Living Stones in the House of God: The Legacy and Future of Black Theology. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2004. 39. Print.