926-word press-ready article. Discusses why it is important for black girls to have a healthy relationship with their father. Positive results are gained when black fathers are involved in their daughter’s life. Cites the top 10 reasons why black girls who have stable and open relationships with their daddy benefit. Written by Valerie D. Lockhart, publisher and executive editor of the Detroit Native Sun. She has over 20 years’ experience as a newspaper editor and was the former Associate Editor of the Michigan Chronicle, the state’s oldest African American owned newspaper. She has won several awards in journalism that includes the Lincoln University Unity Awards in Media.
 
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    Reluctantly 12-year-old Nicole walked out on stage and gazed out at the audience. Her nervous jitters disappeared when she spotted her smiling father in the crowd, signaling with a thumb up and uttering, “You’ve got this,” during a school performance.  
    “It was one of the happiest days in my life,” recalled Nicole, who is now 18. “Seeing his smiling face gave me confidence because I knew that he believed in me even when I did not believe in myself.”
    His presence made a lasting impression that Nicole still cherishes and supports the reason why black girls need their father.
     “Having their father in their life gives black girls confidence, security, a clearer perception of men and boys and affects their relationships with the opposite sex,” Z.A. Tambuzi, who has been studying and speaking about the issue for 30 years, said. “The things the father can provide, enforce, and reinforce can give her a sense of value regardless of when he comes into the picture. It’s never too late for a father to get involved in their daughter’s life. It answers the questions she may have had that made her feel insecure.” 
     According to statistical.com, “there were about 4.27 million Black families in the United States with a single mother in 2021. This is an increase from 1990 levels when there were about 3.4 million Black families with a single mother.”
     Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual “America’s Families and Living Arrangements” data collection revealed that a disproportionate number of Black children under 18 live in single-parent homes.
    It reported that “more than one-third of all Black children in the United States under the age of 18 live with unmarried mothers — compared to 6.5 percent of White children.”
    “Living life without my father is sad, because he passed away,” Deja, said. “I feel like if my father was still present on this earth, I wouldn’t be the way I am now. I wouldn’t be going through the things I go through. If I could speak to him, I would tell him how much I miss him, and that he has a cool and beautiful granddaughter that he didn’t get a chance to meet.”
     Positive results are gained when black fathers are involved in their daughter’s life. 
     The top 10 reasons how black girls who have stable and open relationships with their daddy benefit are: