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| Detroit Strong Fathers Strong Families Conference, April 22 &23, 2010 |
by Robin Wright-King, Executive Director, Detroit Fathers & Families Coalition
March 5, 2010 | Samaritan Center -5555 Conner Street, Detroit, MI 48215 |
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It is with great joy and overwhelming pleasure that I welcome you to the occasion of the first annual conference hosted by the Detroit Fathers & Families Coalition. Our theme “Strong Fathers, Strong Families” lays the foundation for two full days of workshops that will positively impact the lives of fathers and the outcome of children in our community. The workshops will provide three learning tracks; Responsible Fathers; Healthy Fathers, Healthy Families & the Father-Daughter Relationship. The sessions will educate and empower practitioners with the tools they need to facilitate fathers to connect and reconnect effectively with their children.
assist fathers to connect and reconnect with their children, and
help daughters and mothers to better understand the dynamics of father absence in the father daughter relationship and provide them with the tools they can use to help daughters of all ages to understand and begin to heal from father absence and provide practitioners the opportunity to learn new strategies and resources to facilitate their organizations to empower fathers and rebuild families.
We have a notable group of ‘fatherhood experts’ who will share their best practices and offer first in class strategies that will retool our thinking and help us to sustain, rebuild and heal family relationships. Father absence as it relates to the female child is uniquely understudied. We will better understand the early impact of father absence for girls as it relates to self esteem, self image, and teenage behaviors. We will examine the longer term impact as it relates to the selection of a mate, expectations and behaviors inside of marriage and long-term relationships. Finally, we will identify strategies and solutions to mitigate father absence and more effectively engage fathers in the lives of their daughters.
Father absence has taken a significant toll on urban families and communities. The impact is broad and sweeping and can be clearly measured in its social, economic and emotional outcomes. In my book,”Papa Was A Rolling Stone: A Daughter’s Journey to Forgiveness”, I chronicle my experience with father absence and highlight the specific impact to girls and their development as they mature to become women. In the city of Detroit, 70% of African American children are born to single mothers. More than half of these children will never have a relationship with their fathers.
We will celebrate fathers in an ‘All Star Dads Father Daughter Award Banquet Program’ on the evening of April 23rd, where we will recognize fifteen Detroit area fathers who have been outstanding fathers to their daughters. We have chosen a unique group of men who have parented their daughters in a variety of different relationships, from the traditional in home relationship to a father who is incarerated yet able to father his daughter despite his challenge.
We appreciate your support and look forward to partnering with you to build Strong Fathers and Strong Families.
Sincerely,
Robin Wright-King |
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