A new book by Stanford Law professor Ralph Richard Banks. . . Researched and written over the past 10 years, Banks’ book explores the unpleasant — and often unspoken — contributors to and consequences of declining marriage rates among African Americans. With 70% of all black children now born to unwed mothers, the consequences have never been clearer. As for the solutions, Banks provocatively suggests that black women begin looking beyond their own race for marriage material and potential fathers of their children.

5. Should Parents Marry for the Kids?: A Shaky Foundation for Families, The New York Times: The Opinion Pages

Indeed, the number of cohabiting couples in the United States has grown 14-fold since 1970. Millions of adults seem to enjoy the freedom and flexibility that cohabitation affords them. But cohabitation looks a lot less appealing from the vantage point of children who find themselves in a household headed by cohabiting parents. Children in cohabiting families are about twice as likely to drop out of high school, use drugs, or end up depressed, compared with children in intact, married families. They are also at least three times more likely to be physically, sexually or emotionally abused, according to a recent federal report.

6. Marriage Activities Use Beyonce’s Pregnancy to Send Message to Single Moms, Washington Times Communities

R&B Pop Superstar Beyonce Knowles’ recently announced pregnancy has ignited lots of interest but also social debate about controversial issues like the high rate of out-of-wedlock births in urban cities. . . “If Beyonce can make just one young girl want to wait for marriage before having her child then that is an important impact,” Tyler said. “Some of our young people don’t even realize that marriage is a realistic option for them.”

7. For Richer, For Poor: The Growing Marriage Gap, The Fiscal Times