“Babies Having Babies.”
It’s a phrase that describes births, nearly all out of wedlock, to teens, moms under age 18.
It‘s also a phrase used by sociologists, politicians, preachers, media and others to create the belief that teen mothers produce significant numbers of African-American births in America.
Many speak with great conviction about “Babies Having Babies” in Black communities, but strangely, no one cites actual statistics.
So, I did.
The Marion County Health Department (MCHD) and the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have extensive databases of facts, which will startle you and cause deep reflection in our community.
MCHD’s online database covers a 16 year span – 1997 to 2012. During that period, 61,285 African-American children were born in Marion County.
During those 16 years, only 6.8 percent of those births (4,190) were to moms under 18; with 92.8 percent of those births to moms aged 15 to 17. But also during those years, there’s been a significant reduction in the numbers of “Babies Having Babies” in Indianapolis.
Some examples: In 1997, 10.9 percent of all Black births (386) were to moms under 18.
By 2000, the decline in Black teen births was being felt as only 7.8 percent of Black births were to teen moms. By 2005 the percentage had dropped to 6.4 percent; by 2009, 5.6 percent.
In 2011, out of 3,710 Black births, just 148 were to teen moms. In 2012, of 3,871 Black births, 146 or 3.8 percent were to teen moms.
In 2011, of 582,345 Black births in the United States, only 4.3 percent were to those under 18. In 2012, of 583,080 Black births; 3.7 percent were to those under 18.
There’s been significant declines in the percentage of Black births to women aged 18 and 19.
During 1997 to 2012, 12.3 percent of all Indy’s Black births were to women 18 and 19. In 1997, 13.7 percent of all Black births were to women that age. In 2012, that percentage had fallen to 9.0 percent.
The largest group of births is to Black moms aged 20 to 24. Between 1997 and 2012, 35.5 percent of all Black births were to moms that age; 37.2 percent in 2012.
The next largest group of Black births is to women 25 to 29. From 1997-2012, with 24.2 percent of all births were to Black moms that age; 25.5 percent in 2012.
The majority of births are to Black moms in their 20s, 59.7 percent from 1997-2012; 62.7 percent in 2012 alone.
Births to Black women 30 to 34 was 15.9 percent in 2012.
The “Babies Having Babies” mantra ignores the truth that Black teen births have steadily declined the past 16 years across the nation.
In Indianapolis, 62 of every 100 Black births are to women in their 20s. And 88 of every 100 Black births are to women 18 to 34.
In our Black community, adult women are the majority of newborn’s moms. Let’s deal with that fact and stop obsessing over something that’s a small percentage of African-American moms. Today in Indianapolis; just four of every 100 Black births are to teen moms.
Black teen moms have never been anywhere near the majority, or even a significant percentage of Black births in this city or nation.
It’s fine to debate the morality on what age Black women should bear children, but let’s base that discussion on the cold, hard facts!
What I’m hearing in the streets
I’ve been writing about education issues throughout this column’s 20 years. And I’ve written stories in the Recorder about the performance of Black students since 2003.
I’ve been delayed in publishing this year’s story because of major problems the Indiana Department of Education has in making data on how Black students perform easily accessible.
It wasn’t always that way.
Under former Superintendents of Public Instruction Dr. Sue Ellen Reed and Dr. Tony Bennett, media and the public were able to quickly obtain data on the performance of students by race, ethnicity and other categories.
Sadly, that level of public access of data and the ability for me and the Recorder to inform and educate the public on the performance of Black students in our schools has deteriorated under Superintendent Glenda Ritz.
Key data like graduation rates, ISTEP and IREAD have been suddenly released with no warning. Worse for Black media, the data is released without key info on Black student performance.
That’s what happened with last week’s release (with no warning) of IREAD test data where info on how Blacks and other minorities performed wasn’t made immediately available to the media and public.
The community can’t accurately evaluate the quality of the education our kids receive without relevant data. Superintendent Ritz (and her staff) must understand that public data is a right, not an irritant!
* * * * *
So, our Mayor Greg Ballard sat down last week with some Black leaders not in his “preferred” inner circle. Ten Point Coalition sat some “gang leaders” down with Mayor Ballard, presumably so he could hear the real deal of the issues facing young Black men in our city.
It’s great our mayor did that, but I’m puzzled.
Does this mean that groups like the NAACP, leaders of Black ministerial organizations who’ve criticized the mayor, Black business leaders and Recorder journalists have to declare themselves to be in “a gang” and be sponsored by the Ten Point Coalition in order to “get a meeting” with the mayor?
What a bizarre city where Black young toughs can meet with Indianapolis’ top political leader, but the NAACP and Black journalists are forbidden to.
Shame!
See ‘ya next week.
You can email comments to Amos Brown at acbrown@aol.com.
