By analyzing some episodes of "Good Times" and "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," students will understand the history of the black family and analyze its structure. Slavery and racist oppression over the centuries, along with economic changes following industrialization and urbanization, have affected minority groups of America. Daniel Moynihan suggests that due to the lack of government involvement and the already fragmented structure of the black family, blacks and the black family are not equipped to deal with economic instabilities. The components of this curriculum unit will not only focus on the plight of blacks and the black family in America, but they will also highlight the resiliency of blacks and the black family. In order to do this, the unit will closely analyze the resiliency of the black family as it relates to the political and social climates of the 1970s and the 1990s. The curriculum unit will address male/female dynamics, parent/children dynamics, the roles of education and religion, and the idea of economic status. The unit is recommended for U.S. History, World History, and World Geography classes.

Keywords: black family structure, resilience, Moynihan Report, origins of black family, black achievement, female-headed households

(Developed for World Geography, grade 9, and U. S. History, grade 11; recommended for World Geography, grade 9, and U. S. History, grade 11)