Coffin Corner

National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families

The Director's Corner

February is celebrated as Black History Month. This February is particularly significant as 2014 also marks the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This hallmark legislation prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

In honor of Black History Month, the Resource Center is excited to invite you to participate in a free live Expert Panel webcast,Working with African American Individuals, Couples and Families. I will be moderating this live panel discussion on Thursday, February 20, 2014, at 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EST. I will be joined by nationally recognized experts including:

Charisse Johnson, Administration for Children & Families, Office of Family Assistance
Rozario Slack, The Legacy Campaign
Tera Jordan, Iowa State University
Kenneth Braswell, National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse
Nisa Muhammad, Wedded Bliss

Register here for the free webcast.

In addition to joining us for this live webcast, you might consider inviting colleagues or community leaders to gather for a group viewing followed by discussion of local issues. However you choose to honor Black History Month, I hope you will take this opportunity to generate discussion as it relates to better serving not only African American individuals and families, but other diverse groups in your communities.

Tip of the Month

Your monthly tip to strengthen the relationships of those you serve. Share it - Post it - Pass it on!

Despite changes in family and community structures over the years, extended family members play an important role for many families, including African American and Latino families. Extended family members often provide benefits such as enhancing children’s racial or ethnic identity, maintaining social connectedness, and providing respite child care. See Working with African American Individuals, Couples, and Families: A Toolkit for Stakeholders and Working With Latino Individuals, Couples, and Families: A Toolkit for Stakeholders for more information.

Although many African American and Latino families share in these rich cultures, it is important to remember that all families are unique in their individual experiences, complexity, and circumstances. Building an effective client-provider partnership based on mutual respect will enhance service delivery and increase the likelihood of the family’s success in reaching its goal of self-sufficiency.

Featured Resources

The Resource Center's Virtual Library has collected more than 700 materials in a variety of formats including fact sheets, research-to-practice briefs, brochures, pamphlets, training resources, program reports or evaluations, and research materials.

• Working with African American Individuals, Couples, and Families (Toolkit)
  This toolkit uses a backdrop of significant historical events as a foundation for understanding perspectives, improving communication, and strengthening relationships with those in the African American community. This toolkit is grounded in current research and draws on the experience of practitioners to provide practical suggestions for engaging and serving this population, particularly for incorporating healthy marriage and relationship education skills into service delivery systems as part of a comprehensive family-centered approach to promoting self-sufficiency.

• Dispelling the Myth: Black Couples Are Not Interested in Marriage (Fact Sheet)
  This fact sheet highlights the reality of seven common myths about black marriage. The aims in doing so are twofold: (1) to provide accurate information concerning demographic trends in black relationships among low-income persons, and (2) to share strategies safety-net service providers may use to encourage their clients to participate in healthy marriage and relationship education programs.

• Dispelling the Myth: Black Couples Are Not Interested in Marriage (Video)
  This video highlights the seven common myths that are identified and examined in the Dispelling the Myth: Black Couples Are Not Interested in Marriage fact sheet.

• Understanding Distinct Marital Separation Patterns Among Black Couples (Fact Sheet)
  This fact sheet describes unique patterns in marital separation among black couples, highlights factors linked to marital separation, outlines consequences of marital separation, and offers strategies that safety-net service providers can use to empower clients experiencing marital separation.

Events

The Resource Center's Events Calendar offers a listing of Resource Center events and other national, regional, and community-wide events that might be of interest. Upcoming events include:

• Working With African American Individuals, Couples, and Families: Expert Panel Webcast, Thursday, February 20, 2014, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EST: The National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families is excited to invite you to participate in a free live Expert Panel webcast on Working with African American Individuals, Couples and Families. This moderated discussion will bring together nationally recognized experts and practitioners to address cultural competencies, discuss strategies to improve services, and highlight free resources to support you and your agency in your efforts to strengthen families.

Register here for the free webcast.

• National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) Forum 2014 in Washington, DC, March 29-31, 2014: NAWB is the national association representing 650 State and local workforce investment boards. The Forum is NAWB's signature event, attracting nearly 1,200 business leaders and workforce professionals from across the nation: This year's theme is Dialogue for Workforce Excellence. This Forum will bring leaders from workforce organizations, economic development, education, business, and others together to meet these challenges head on and to work together to Dialogue for Workforce Excellence. The Forum will be held March 29-31, 2014, at the Washington Hilton in our nation's capital. The National Resource Center will be exhibiting at this event.

• 2014 International Conference on Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking in Seattle, WA, April 22-24, 2014: This event, sponsored by End Violence Against Women International will focus on bringing together law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, victim advocates, judges, parole and probation officers, rape crisis workers, medical personnel, faith community members, educators, and others in this three-day conference highlighting promising practices and emerging issues in sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking. The National Resource Center will be exhibiting at this event.

Feedback and Technical Assistance:

If you have suggestions or wish to speak with a Resource Center staff member, please contact us and we will be happy to assist you. If you would like to request Technical Assistance, please submit a Training and Technical Assistance Request Form and our Technical Assistance Coordinator will contact you.

To learn more about the Resource Center visit us at www.healthymarriageandfamilies.org

The National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families supports safety-net service providers as they integrate healthy marriage and relationship education skills into service delivery systems as part of a comprehensive, culturally appropriate, family-centered approach designed to promote self-sufficiency.

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Funding for this project was provided by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Grant: [90FH0002]. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.