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The Vanishing Black Family | Delano Squires

Jun 22, 2026

Guest

Delano Squires

Delano Squires, director at the DeVos Center and author of The Vanishing Black Family, explores the collapse of Black family structure from midcentury stability to today. He traces the roles of welfare policy, cultural shifts, feminism, and economic debates. He outlines a multi-generational plan centered on faith institutions, education, and public campaigns to restore marriage and family norms.

43:09

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INSIGHT

Family Structure Ignored In Racial Equity Agendas

Family structure is largely absent from progressive racial equity agendas despite its outsized effect on outcomes.
Squires calls the political-cultural elite the 'Afrostocracy' and notes DC's racial equity plan omits family-structure indicators.

insights

INSIGHT

Slavery Distorted But Families Rebuilt After Emancipation

Slavery deformed but did not destroy the Black family; Reconstruction showed deliberate efforts to rebuild families after emancipation.
Delano Squires cites 3,500 newspaper ads seeking spouses and loved ones during Reconstruction as evidence of reconstruction efforts.

insights

INSIGHT

Black Families Were More Intact Mid-20th Century

Black family stability was higher mid-20th century than commonly assumed despite Jim Crow; nonmarital birth rates were much lower pre-1960s.
Squires cites 1940s nonmarital birth rates around 12% for Black families and widespread two-parent households through the 1950s.

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Why Squires Wrote This Book Now

00:29 • 3min

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Early Discussions and Comparative Books

02:59 • 3min

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DC's Family Structure Disparity

05:31 • 3min

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Slavery's Impact Versus Post-1960s Changes

08:44 • 6min

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Black Family Stability Before the 1960s

14:18 • 4min

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Welfare, Feminism, and Family Decline

18:26 • 5min

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Economic Explanations and 'Marriageable Men'

23:29 • 2min

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Similar Trends in White Working Class

25:28 • 2min

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A Multi-Generational Plan to Restore Marriage

27:44 • 8min

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Challenges: Declining Institutions and Media

35:47 • 2min

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Church Politics and Cultural Tradeoffs

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The Vanishing Black Family

How Welfare and Feminism Made Marriage Optional and Children Vulnerable

Delano Squires

Delano Squires argues that post‑1960s policy and cultural shifts — particularly welfare expansion and feminist ideas — contributed to the erosion of marriage and stable family structures in many Black communities. Drawing on his experience in local government, commentary, and social research, he links family formation and household stability to a range of social outcomes including crime and education. The book calls for renewed attention to the household as central to racial equity policy, urging institutions like churches, HBCUs, and elected officials to promote marriage revival. Squires positions his work as a consequential intervention in contemporary debates about race, welfare, and family life, aiming to spark policy reforms and cultural change. He offers concrete proposals, including a model commission to study family structure and racial equity in affected communities.

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Inherited Inequality

Why Opportunity Gaps Persist Between Black and White Youth Raised in Two-Parent Families

Christina Cross

In this powerful conversation, Delano Squires, Director of the Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Human Flourishing at The Heritage Foundation and author of The Vanishing Black Family, breaks down the dramatic collapse of the Black family — from stable two-parent homes in the 1940s-1950s to today’s 70% out-of-wedlock birth rate. Delano explains how slavery deformed but did not destroy the Black family, but how the combination of 1960s welfare policies and new ideologies worked to undermine it.

CHAPTERS:
(00:00 Introduction)
(01:45 The 1986 Bill Moyers Documentary)
(04:20 Why Delano Wrote This Book Now)
(08:10 The Black Family Before the 1960s – Surprisingly Stable)
(13:40 Slavery’s Real Impact vs. Welfare & Feminism)
(19:55 The Economic Argument – Jobs vs. Culture)
(26:40 Why the “Marriageable Men” Theory Falls Short)
(32:15 Restoring the Black Family – The Multi-Generational Plan (Church, HBCUs & More))
(42:50 Final Thoughts)

DELANO SQUIRES LINKS:
📖 Buy The Vanishing Black Family: How Welfare and Feminism Made Marriage Optional and Children Vulnerable: https://www.amazon.com/Vanishing-Black-Family-Feminism-Vulnerable-ebook/dp/B0FRFLFVLH/?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=theurban-20
🐦 Twitter/X: https://x.com/DelanoSquires

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