Turning moms and dads into husbands and wives one household at a time...
OK so when I first saw this book cover I thought it was a joke but by no means is it one, this is a real novel written in an effort to get more African American's hitched. Statistics state that 72% of black mothers are unwed. Put another way, 72% of black babies are born out of wedlock. Stated differently again, only 28% of black babies are born to families in which the father and mother are actually married.
Now one might argue that just because a couple got pregnant doesn't mean they ought to be married but I tend to say well why not? This is especially my sentiment if the two believe in marriage and hope to wed one day. Isn't raising a child together just as much of a commitment as a marriage?
Maryann Reid came up with the idea of "Marry your Baby Daddy Day" after her own wedding got called off.
"I was left at the altar, actually…that experience was dramatic, and I felt that somehow I had to get out [of] a funk," said Reid. She figured that instead of dwelling on her own problems, she should take action. "Why don't I help other people get married?" she said.
"There is no stigma anymore in the black community about having a child out of wedlock," said Reid, which led to the creation of Marry Your Baby Daddy Day. For those who don't know, Reid explains that "a Baby Daddy is simply…an unmarried father. But they've become caricatures in the ghetto."
Reid said, "Enough of that! Enough of upholding this 'baby daddy' and 'baby momma' as the norm. I am really just fed up with…the decline of marriage in the black community…It's about bring black love back in style. And that's what I want to do."
The first marital ceremony took place back in 2005 where Reid got vendors to donate their services for bridal gowns, flowers etc to give a wedding to 10 couples on "Marry your Baby Daddy Day." So far, more than a thousand couples with kids have applied to be part of the next wedding. Reid has culled the list to 50 couples, all of whom she is currently interviewing. To be selected, you must have children, be responsible and convince Reid that you love each other and stand a good chance at staying together for life.
I think her idea and concept is phenomenal especially for loving and willing couples who want to get married but for whatever reason they have not yet. If you are interested or know someone who may be visit her site at http://www.marryyourbabydaddy.com
What do you ladies and gents think about this?
