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September 22, 1999
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H T I C 1 Ï S D O NOT N EC ESSAR ILY REFLECT OB R EPR ESEN T THE VIEW S OF
m iT O R I A I
Responsible Fatherhood
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Ensuring African American Fathers Count
Bi C o n g r essw o m en J il ia C
Established 1 9 7 0
STAFF
C harles W ashington
The horror o f unexplained acts
o f public violence is back. Isn ’t it
about time we started looking for
the cause instead o f treating the
symptoms?
I am an international authority
on energy conservation. I’ve pub­
lished a couple o f textbooks on the
subject with M cG raw -H ill, doz­
ens o f articles, and several com ­
puter program s. A key part o f the
equation o f conserving energy, in
building A C /heating system s, is
being able to do so w hile m ain­
d it o r
L arrv J. Jackson, Sr.
C
E
opy
d it o r
Jov Ramos
B
M
u s in e s s
anager
G ary Ann Taylor
A
A
d m in is t r a t iv e
s s is t a n t
ir e c t o r
of
A
d v e r t is in g
B i R ic h
ard
M . C ooper
Tony W ashington
G
r a p h ic
D
e s ig n e r
H eath er Fairchild
D
is t r ib u t io n
M
anager
M ark W ashington
C
W
o n t r ib u t in g
every available resource to inspire
men to be committed, loving, and
responsible fathers.
The responsible Fatherhood Act
o f 1999 does the following:
Raising awareness about the im ­
portance o f responsible fatherhood
by authorizing a public aw areness
cam paign, designed by states and
com m unities, to help change atti­
tudes, particularly am ong young
m en, about responsibilities that go
w ith fathering a child;
are more likely to fail or drop out o f
school, engage in early sexual ac­
tivity, develop drug and alcohol
problems, and experience perpe­
trate violence. We have known for
a long time that a child’s success is
greatly influenced by his upbring­
ing relationship. Our children need
everyone o f us to com m it to re­
building the institution o f father­
hood. Black children deserve a
good and constructive relationship
with their fathers. W e m ust use
taining proper air quality. If you
d o n ’t do it right, you save lots o f
energy, but ruin the air we breathe.
I also served on a psychologists
lic e n sin g b o ard in T exas, a p ­
pointed by G overnor Bush. I pre­
sented a technical paper to the
Board mem bers (also published in
Engineered System s m agazine, o f
which I am on the Board o f A dvi­
sors) discussing the psychological
side affects o f bad indoor air qual­
ity. The causes are simple enough:
oxygen deprivation and carbon
quires the complete volume o f air to
be changed out with 100% fresh air
every fifteen minutes. Many build­
ing operators close off the outside
air vents to save energy, thus con­
stantly recirculating the existing air
and never introducing any fresh air
to the space. It’s a thirty second task,
to close the outside air vent; and it
can reduce the utility bills by 250%
or more, depending on the season or
location. T hat’s a LOT o f money,
especially for schools struggling to
educate more students, and to pro­
dioxide poisoning. T heir sym p­
toms can be drastic, how ever:
confusion, poor concentration, all
the way to psychosis.
No one thought m uch o f my
paper at the tim e, w hich was a few
years ago. A fter a spate o f random
violence in schools in the past year,
and now the Texas church m assa­
cre, perhaps it’s tim e to look into
the m atter m ore closely. A few
facts and figures on the issue may
bring my point home.
A typical school classroom re­
Family Reunions
T alu n ak a W ashington
D
can children. 70 percent o f black
children are born to single m oth­
ers, and at least 80 percent o f all
black children can now expect to
spend a significant part o f their
childhood years living apart from
their fathers. “ For too long, legis­
lators, and policym akers have ig­
nored the father/child relationship.
The future o f African American
children depends on society’s abil­
ity to reconnect fathers with their
children. According to recent re­
search, children with absent fathers
Creating a block grant program
expanding responsible fatherhood
prom otion program s at the state
and local government, civic, chari­
table, non-profit, and faith-based
organizations; and
Changing existing federal law to
encourage a stronger connection be­
tween fathers and their children
through increased child support to
families and more available train­
ing through the Welfare-to-Work
program for low-income fathers.
Random Acts of Violence Explained?
u b l is h e r
E
arson
Nearly 25 million children, more
than one out o f three, live absent
their biological father, and 17 m il­
lion kids live without a father o f
any kind. About 40 percent o f the
children living in fatherless house­
holds have not seen their fathers in
at least a year, and 50 percent o f
children who do not live with their
father have never stepped foot in
their father’s home. The situation
is even worse for A frican Ameri­
USPS 959-680
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“It’s so nice to see, all the folks
you love together. Simply talkin’
’ bout, all the things that ’ s been going
down. It’s been a long, long time,
since w e’ve had the chance to get
together. Nobody knows, the next
time we see each other, may be years
and years from now.’’ (The O ’Jays,
1975, Family Reunion).
It seems like the older I get, the
more fttnerals that I attend. I am often
introduced to new extended family
members at wakes or I bump into
relatives from my childhood at
sparely occurring occasions ending
with sentiments like. "Our family
really needs to plan a family reunion."
The statement are certainly sincere
when they cone lude with, “Yeah, I ’ 11
give you a c all... stay in touch, let’s
make it happen.” These family get-
togethers just never seem to happen.
W e’ve all become too busy.
Much to my surprise, Sunday,
Aug. 21 marked my in-laws’ first
planned family reunion. The idea
was spawned by two cousins at a
wedding reception and several weeks
later came to fruition. What a bless­
ing indeed! But believe me, there
were many issues to be addressed,
some o f which reminded me o f my
own family and likely yours too. What
follows are some brief thoughts on
the planning of this important event.
First, and foremost one needs a
historical perspective regarding the
realities for many families in America
and in the Diaspora. Our family struc­
ture was often ravaged by systemic
oppression which altered many of
our kinship patterns. The mere fact
that Black families exist and thrive
today is a testament to their strength,
tenacity, and survival skills. Daniel
P. Moynihan erroneously disavows
this idea in his so-called report on
dysfunctional Negro families during
the 1960’s.
Families coming together for a
spiritual Karamu (fast) makes prac­
tical sense. Nations are built on
strong families.
For a successful first event, learn
to plan on a small inexpensive scale.
Remember the goal is to have an
enjoyable gathering. Over time,
your event can develop. Secondly,
old arguments, power struggles, and
some dislike among kinfolk will
likely occur during the planning
phase. These difficulties often run
deep, wide and long. Prayer, time
and deaths may improve things.
Draft your overall plan with the
“doers” o f the family and assign
mutually agreed upon tacks with time
lines. Pay homage when possible to
the wishes o f the elders o f the family.
Select a location/site that increases
the likelihood o f attendance. Cook-
outs held in free public parks may be
favored over rented banquet halls.
Families can simply B.T.O.F.
(Bring Their Own Food) or work out
other inexpensive arrangements.
Certain colors schemes worn for
that day by all family members add
warm touches and makes for great
photographs. Hold off on the print­
ing of costly family T-shirts with
logos unless you can get a great price.
Not all family members will buy them,
even if they previously had said that
they would. My in-laws wore black
and white casual. Outdoor attire.
Space will not permit addressing
all o f the details, but there are many
good books and websites on the sub­
ject that can help. One point must be
m ade.. .my strong recommendation
is not to serve alcohol on that day.
We all have that “loved/hated” rela­
tive that can’t handle the brew. Trust
me, you know the rest o f that story.
^Jortlanh (©bserrier
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freelance submissions Manuscripts and
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braced. It was truly powerful.
At the end o f the day when I
heard statem ents like, “ le t’s get
together" they sounded rem ark­
ably different from the past. This
time, family members had hugged,
cried, laughed, danced, and com ­
m uned with one another all day
long. There was ju st so much love
present. This event was so joyful!
Stay strong, fam ilies.
Just think: Your son
D E A D L IN E S
The Portland Observer welcomes
W hen possible, have “out-of-
tow n” family members stay with
local relatives. However, inexpen­
sive hotels should also be booked
well in advance.
The culminating event for my in­
law s’ family reunion was an i m ­
promptu hand holding ceremony of
about 75 people in a circle. The eldest
family member spoke, blessed all o f
the attendees and then everyone em­
vide higher teacher salaries - all on
limited, sometimes even on reduc­
ing, budgets.
B usinesses are no different.
They have increasing profit pres­
sures, and save just as much money
by reducing or elim inating fresh
air intake to air conditioning sys­
tem s. Either way, the result is the
same: poor air quality translates
into psychological symptoms; the
w orse the quality and the more
prolonged the exposure, the worse
the hum an consequences.
C ity / S t a t e / Z ip :
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