The current stereotype of the black American family has not changed much from the 1950s of the dominant woman who is domineering and therefore usurps her male partner in his home of his authority as head of the household. This stereotype is also known as black matriarchal and is unfortunately still a reality in black families. The “Moynihan Report” (1965) states that the black matriarchal structure is the attributional factor that has caused the deterioration of black men in serving as authority figures (www.blackpast.org). As a result they have suffered failure of the family unit, thus leading to divorce or non-marriage in the first place, regardless of whether they have boring children or not. Therefore, over time the black American family has always been plagued by the label of family failure. However, reflecting in Rita Dove's collection of poems entitled Thomas and Beulah (1986), she challenges the atypical black American family by writing about her grandparents' river life that extensively discusses their loyalty to nobility such as love, marriage, family, and perseverance. through the imperfections of life. These points mentioned above were accusations of black stereotyping in 1950 as they still are today. However, as time went on, in the 1980s, blacks were considered less intelligent than whites, less moral due to vulgarity and violence, therefore inferior to whites. Over time the stereotype of the black family remains with the old boxes that blacks are poor, lazy, very religious, drunk and the black male is incapable of providing for his family, hence the failure to maintain a family unit. The black family stereotype is different, however, maintaining the aspects mentioned above but currently adding more c...... middle of paper ...... of life therefore in greater depth, meaning the water flows along the river... the flow of one's life. Therefore this is a metaphor that reflects the life of Thomas and Beulah. However, Dove ultimately concludes her collection of poems with “The Oriental Dancer” by stating about Beulah's death that, “so quickly she stands still / The sun walks down the bed to the pillow / and stops to breathe (in East, / the breath floats like mist / in the field)” (76). Ultimately life on the riverboat ends with the cessation of the water dissipating into the air (i.e., the breath floating like mist), thus, the ultimate freedom of his soul. Works Cited Colomba, Rita. Thomas and Beulah (1986). Pages: 11, 14, and 76. United States Department of Labor. “The Moynihan Report” (1965). (http://www.blackpast.org/?q=primary/moynihan-report-1965#chapter1). July 30, 2011.