Thursday, June 17, 2010
Contact Us
Contact Us: AAAF c/o Antonio Celester,Director of Programs 1266 Washington St,Norwood Mass. 02062 Phone 781-255-8810 Fax 781-255-8810 Email: blackfathersinc@hotmail.com
Friday, July 17, 2009
New Web Page!
Contact Us: AAAF c/o Antonio Celester,Director of Programs
45 Howe street
Boston,Ma. 02125
Phone 781-762-1591 Cell 857-350-6428
Email: blackfathersinc@hotmail.com
academyofafricanamericanfathers.com
45 Howe street
Boston,Ma. 02125
Phone 781-762-1591 Cell 857-350-6428
Email: blackfathersinc@hotmail.com
academyofafricanamericanfathers.com
Friday, May 4, 2007
The Academy Pilot Program Opportunity Presentation
ACADEMY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN FATHERS
Program Presentation
2007-2008
ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of African American Fathers is about strengthening fathers through the introduction of new skills, thoughts and possibilities, that will allow a significant change to take place in their lives and in the lifestyle choices of the participants.
MISSION OF THE ACADEMY
Our mission is like every other mission of practitioners around the country, who operate fatherhood programs and initiatives.
We want to change the negative consequences of the participants that directly affects their abilities to be a responsible parent and a meaningful father figure.
OUR MISSION POINTS
To create a new opportunity for practitioners, agencies and organizations to develop a more meaningful program that will allow a better understanding of parenting responsibility from a "cultural" perspective.
To foster positive changes in the attitudes towards parental responsibility and accountability.
OUR MISSION POINTS CONT.
To foster change in the negative consequences of families by assisting and introducing new commitments and alliances with programs and agencies that service fathers and their families for a more friendly experience.
To Foster change in the mind set and thinking of participates and those that suffer negative consequences through their lifestyle choices.
THE ACADEMY IS UNIQUE AND WHY
We are unique because;
We approach parenthood from a cultural perspective, therefore, we believe that parenting programs should reflect the cultural aspect of the participants in the program.
We focus on the mind set of the individual and not just the social aspect of parenting, which could bring a positive change in the way a participants view their responsibilities in general.
WE ARE UNIQUE AND WHY
We are a program that is culturally grounded in our instructor trainings ,instructors skills and lesson plans to fortify our participants in the Academy programs and to give them a better knowledge of self and to build upon their motivation and desire to change.
We help develop the skills of participants in order that they may gain a better understanding of the true meaning of fatherhood and reap the benefits of becoming a responsible parent.
WE ARE UNIQUE AND WHY
We are an African American cultural based program with culturally based lesson plans and skills, coming from the African American experience of parenting.
Our instructors and trainers are African American men and women with the knowledge of the African American family life experience.
LETS CHAT AND LEARN A LESSON!
Programs Fail when they refuse to recognize that parenting is cultural in nature!
COMPARE CULTURAL PROGRAMS TO NON-CULTURAL PROGRAMS
In cultural programs Participants have like kind experiences and can relate to each others issues and ethically challenges.
Trainer and instructors are fathers and sons and have had the same and or like kind experience as a parent, faced with the same challenges as their participants.
In non cultural programs Participants vary in background and their parenting style varies from culture to culture making it complicated for everyone to participate or relate to challenges.
Trainers vary and therefore relating to each participants experience and challenges are limited and therefore ineffective to assisting all.
COMPARE
Unique problems can a have main focus because there are issues common to all participants.
Each participate can address concerns that all can relate to and focus on the challenges of those issue in a more meaningful way, that allows each one to teach one ,and give credence to possibilities and solutions.
There is no affective unique focus, other than the responsibility and accountability aspect of parenting, therefore participants are unable to relate to each other.
There may be a disservice to the participants in non cultural bases programs because it disregards the essence of family life through the eyes of the participants family legacy and denies the opportunity to allow the participants to get back to themselves. This radical change in knowledge and understanding is critical to acceptance of change and the successfulness of the individual as a person.
OPPORTUNITY
The Academy of African American Fathers has opportunity for all to grow and prosper! The benefits are endless and the possibilities are infinite!
Yes, everyone benefits from change and as the saying goes "people make communities..communities don’t make people"(unknown author).
Lets now explorer the benefits for those who are affected the most by fatherhood inability and/or neglect of duty……
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE
The #1 person who suffers negative consequences that affects his whole family lifestyle.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
African American men;
took care of their children with little or nothing going as far back as slavery days. However, when certain systems were put in place, coupled with certain other factors, the African American fathers became disconnected from family values that depended on their support and was, in a sense, replaced by a more seemingly reliable source of support for families in need…the state sponsored welfare system,than a reform of that system.
THE ECONOMIC FACTOR
Most of the African American Fathers in need of services are low income, unemployed, unemployable and without the skills that would allow them to feed a family.
With the cost of living going up everyday the challenge to keep at a trailing pace seems insurmountable and therefore motivation is lacking. Nobody is planning or thinking about buying a home or going to college, or sending their children to college, if that person don’t have the skills to command a salary that supports their theory.
What other economic factors are there? The list is very long, however, criminal background, lack of knowledge and the lack of earning living wages are major!
THE SOCIAL FACTOR
When a father is unable to provide for his children, for whatever the reason may be, his attitude towards that responsibility is not positive. He do not feel sufficient and, in most cases, his attitude towards any kind of responsibility, whatever or wherever it may be, is affected.
He removes himself from that situation to relieve himself from the pressures that follow from the mother of those children , from his children, and the agencies that enforce child support,or the financial obligation of the his responsibility.
He is then labeled ,misunderstood, incarcerated and in some cases loses his parental rights over his children, furthering his disconnectedness. Even those who are supportive of their children in every possible way feel the affects of unsupporting fathers when they face legal consequences ,due in part to misinformation about African American men and their children by providers and the legal systems.
THE LEGAL FACTOR
Congress, states and local towns and the laws that govern family life has "failed"! Most don’t have a clue as to the "real issues" and they only seek to compensate and satisfy through a monetary means. There are those who believe that parenthood can be "forced" upon an individual.
Incarcerating a father who fails to provide we believe is nonsense! These agencies, because they lack a sufficient plan that is viable and available to their disposal, try to force fathers to do something lots of them have never experienced;foster a child.
Some even have been abandoned themselves by their own father. They are simply a product of their own lack of direction and role model of being and having a supportive male parent or male figure in their life.
THE CONSEQUENCES
As a consequence the government, federal, state and locals are upset and unfriendly with those who they feel are not producing. The law’s main function and concern is financial in nature and in the best interest of the child, therefore everything else has less importance.
The court is bogged down with litigation and enforcement, sending those to jail who do not comply, even if they are unable, and setting bad law that works against change.
Unfairly, the negatives are highlighted and any positive goes unmentioned,due in part because it is about "money" and not all the non monetary efforts one may have made to support his children are considered for highlighting.
The court needs some new direction and an opportunity to get it right in the best interest of the children and the best interest of families and the communities at large.
African American men, in particular, are more likely to be incarcerated for something other than "trying to support their children". They are frustrated by the systems that they don’t understand.
They are unable to understand why they don’t understand and they act according to how frustrated they are about themselves and the plight of most men in their peer groups.
They continue to face incarceration, violence committed against each other, lack of motivation and self-esteem, lack of confidence, domestic violence, gang warfare, police misconduct, family disconnect, drug and alcohol abuse, health issues, misinformation and finally a program not possessing nor having the ability to address their real needs to be themselves again!
THE CHANGE OF COURSE
In order to change we must first accept.
Acceptance comes after understanding.
Understanding comes from being properly informed about the facts of the matter and the truth of the matter.
Truth comes about by way of being just and fair about what is and what is not.
Fairness comes from those who see things for what they are and act accordingly.
ACADEMY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN FATHERS
The opportunity to bring positive change in the fatherhood experience
Through meaningful training and enlightenment.
OUR SEVEN CORE CONCEPTS
The seven core concepts that is the basis of our Academy makes up the one main concept of the program:
SELF ACTUALIZATIONS
Self actualizations are designed to be a road map toward the main goal and the main objective of the individual on an individual basis. Each segment is approximately two course hours each to be performed in a 12 week period. This is accompanied by lectures, audio and video
presentations and group activity and group participation.
WHAT DO SELF ACTUALIZATIONS DO?
They are designed specifically to address the personal issues of African American males, in particular, as individuals and as people,
hence the name "self-actualization".
The seven Self actualization are:
RECOGNIZE SELF
To develop a greater understanding of the plight of African American men and to examine the educational, economical, health and medicine, religious ,political, family and community aspect of himself and others like him
REALIZE SELF
To identify the problems or potential problems as individuals and as a group.
EVALUATE SELF
To have individuals examine themselves, their own thoughts and their own feelings
DISCLOSE SELF
To give an opportunity for individuals a chance to challenge their own thoughts and feelings and compare both old and new philosophies.
PLAN SELF
To teach problem solving skills and other life skills necessary to evaluate situations for more positive consequence.
COMMIT SELF
To introduce the acceptance of responsibilities and the importance of being responsible and feeling confident about commitments.
BUILD SELF
To learn to maintain and participate in civic duties to self, family and positive community lifestyle choices.
WHAT YOU CAN DO AS A PROVIDER OR AGENCY WANTING TO EXPLORE FURTHER
FOR OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE ACADEMY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN FATHERS:
Engage your program administrators, schools, churches, prisons, courts, social service agencies and fellow fatherhood programs and initiatives to consider an Academy to address the needs of a large population of African American that you serve. Most of all, talk to your African American clientele, they truly know what they want.
CONTACT US WE PROVIDE CONSULTATION SERVICES AND A PROGRAM AGENDA
Get involve by asking us how you can establish a pilot program in your area.
501 non profit organization,or existing fatherhood program and the Private sectors can benefit by sponsorship of a pilot program in their area.
We will give you all the details.
Antonio Celester
Director of Programs
Program Presentation
2007-2008
ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of African American Fathers is about strengthening fathers through the introduction of new skills, thoughts and possibilities, that will allow a significant change to take place in their lives and in the lifestyle choices of the participants.
MISSION OF THE ACADEMY
Our mission is like every other mission of practitioners around the country, who operate fatherhood programs and initiatives.
We want to change the negative consequences of the participants that directly affects their abilities to be a responsible parent and a meaningful father figure.
OUR MISSION POINTS
To create a new opportunity for practitioners, agencies and organizations to develop a more meaningful program that will allow a better understanding of parenting responsibility from a "cultural" perspective.
To foster positive changes in the attitudes towards parental responsibility and accountability.
OUR MISSION POINTS CONT.
To foster change in the negative consequences of families by assisting and introducing new commitments and alliances with programs and agencies that service fathers and their families for a more friendly experience.
To Foster change in the mind set and thinking of participates and those that suffer negative consequences through their lifestyle choices.
THE ACADEMY IS UNIQUE AND WHY
We are unique because;
We approach parenthood from a cultural perspective, therefore, we believe that parenting programs should reflect the cultural aspect of the participants in the program.
We focus on the mind set of the individual and not just the social aspect of parenting, which could bring a positive change in the way a participants view their responsibilities in general.
WE ARE UNIQUE AND WHY
We are a program that is culturally grounded in our instructor trainings ,instructors skills and lesson plans to fortify our participants in the Academy programs and to give them a better knowledge of self and to build upon their motivation and desire to change.
We help develop the skills of participants in order that they may gain a better understanding of the true meaning of fatherhood and reap the benefits of becoming a responsible parent.
WE ARE UNIQUE AND WHY
We are an African American cultural based program with culturally based lesson plans and skills, coming from the African American experience of parenting.
Our instructors and trainers are African American men and women with the knowledge of the African American family life experience.
LETS CHAT AND LEARN A LESSON!
Programs Fail when they refuse to recognize that parenting is cultural in nature!
COMPARE CULTURAL PROGRAMS TO NON-CULTURAL PROGRAMS
In cultural programs Participants have like kind experiences and can relate to each others issues and ethically challenges.
Trainer and instructors are fathers and sons and have had the same and or like kind experience as a parent, faced with the same challenges as their participants.
In non cultural programs Participants vary in background and their parenting style varies from culture to culture making it complicated for everyone to participate or relate to challenges.
Trainers vary and therefore relating to each participants experience and challenges are limited and therefore ineffective to assisting all.
COMPARE
Unique problems can a have main focus because there are issues common to all participants.
Each participate can address concerns that all can relate to and focus on the challenges of those issue in a more meaningful way, that allows each one to teach one ,and give credence to possibilities and solutions.
There is no affective unique focus, other than the responsibility and accountability aspect of parenting, therefore participants are unable to relate to each other.
There may be a disservice to the participants in non cultural bases programs because it disregards the essence of family life through the eyes of the participants family legacy and denies the opportunity to allow the participants to get back to themselves. This radical change in knowledge and understanding is critical to acceptance of change and the successfulness of the individual as a person.
OPPORTUNITY
The Academy of African American Fathers has opportunity for all to grow and prosper! The benefits are endless and the possibilities are infinite!
Yes, everyone benefits from change and as the saying goes "people make communities..communities don’t make people"(unknown author).
Lets now explorer the benefits for those who are affected the most by fatherhood inability and/or neglect of duty……
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE
The #1 person who suffers negative consequences that affects his whole family lifestyle.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
African American men;
took care of their children with little or nothing going as far back as slavery days. However, when certain systems were put in place, coupled with certain other factors, the African American fathers became disconnected from family values that depended on their support and was, in a sense, replaced by a more seemingly reliable source of support for families in need…the state sponsored welfare system,than a reform of that system.
THE ECONOMIC FACTOR
Most of the African American Fathers in need of services are low income, unemployed, unemployable and without the skills that would allow them to feed a family.
With the cost of living going up everyday the challenge to keep at a trailing pace seems insurmountable and therefore motivation is lacking. Nobody is planning or thinking about buying a home or going to college, or sending their children to college, if that person don’t have the skills to command a salary that supports their theory.
What other economic factors are there? The list is very long, however, criminal background, lack of knowledge and the lack of earning living wages are major!
THE SOCIAL FACTOR
When a father is unable to provide for his children, for whatever the reason may be, his attitude towards that responsibility is not positive. He do not feel sufficient and, in most cases, his attitude towards any kind of responsibility, whatever or wherever it may be, is affected.
He removes himself from that situation to relieve himself from the pressures that follow from the mother of those children , from his children, and the agencies that enforce child support,or the financial obligation of the his responsibility.
He is then labeled ,misunderstood, incarcerated and in some cases loses his parental rights over his children, furthering his disconnectedness. Even those who are supportive of their children in every possible way feel the affects of unsupporting fathers when they face legal consequences ,due in part to misinformation about African American men and their children by providers and the legal systems.
THE LEGAL FACTOR
Congress, states and local towns and the laws that govern family life has "failed"! Most don’t have a clue as to the "real issues" and they only seek to compensate and satisfy through a monetary means. There are those who believe that parenthood can be "forced" upon an individual.
Incarcerating a father who fails to provide we believe is nonsense! These agencies, because they lack a sufficient plan that is viable and available to their disposal, try to force fathers to do something lots of them have never experienced;foster a child.
Some even have been abandoned themselves by their own father. They are simply a product of their own lack of direction and role model of being and having a supportive male parent or male figure in their life.
THE CONSEQUENCES
As a consequence the government, federal, state and locals are upset and unfriendly with those who they feel are not producing. The law’s main function and concern is financial in nature and in the best interest of the child, therefore everything else has less importance.
The court is bogged down with litigation and enforcement, sending those to jail who do not comply, even if they are unable, and setting bad law that works against change.
Unfairly, the negatives are highlighted and any positive goes unmentioned,due in part because it is about "money" and not all the non monetary efforts one may have made to support his children are considered for highlighting.
The court needs some new direction and an opportunity to get it right in the best interest of the children and the best interest of families and the communities at large.
African American men, in particular, are more likely to be incarcerated for something other than "trying to support their children". They are frustrated by the systems that they don’t understand.
They are unable to understand why they don’t understand and they act according to how frustrated they are about themselves and the plight of most men in their peer groups.
They continue to face incarceration, violence committed against each other, lack of motivation and self-esteem, lack of confidence, domestic violence, gang warfare, police misconduct, family disconnect, drug and alcohol abuse, health issues, misinformation and finally a program not possessing nor having the ability to address their real needs to be themselves again!
THE CHANGE OF COURSE
In order to change we must first accept.
Acceptance comes after understanding.
Understanding comes from being properly informed about the facts of the matter and the truth of the matter.
Truth comes about by way of being just and fair about what is and what is not.
Fairness comes from those who see things for what they are and act accordingly.
ACADEMY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN FATHERS
The opportunity to bring positive change in the fatherhood experience
Through meaningful training and enlightenment.
OUR SEVEN CORE CONCEPTS
The seven core concepts that is the basis of our Academy makes up the one main concept of the program:
SELF ACTUALIZATIONS
Self actualizations are designed to be a road map toward the main goal and the main objective of the individual on an individual basis. Each segment is approximately two course hours each to be performed in a 12 week period. This is accompanied by lectures, audio and video
presentations and group activity and group participation.
WHAT DO SELF ACTUALIZATIONS DO?
They are designed specifically to address the personal issues of African American males, in particular, as individuals and as people,
hence the name "self-actualization".
The seven Self actualization are:
RECOGNIZE SELF
To develop a greater understanding of the plight of African American men and to examine the educational, economical, health and medicine, religious ,political, family and community aspect of himself and others like him
REALIZE SELF
To identify the problems or potential problems as individuals and as a group.
EVALUATE SELF
To have individuals examine themselves, their own thoughts and their own feelings
DISCLOSE SELF
To give an opportunity for individuals a chance to challenge their own thoughts and feelings and compare both old and new philosophies.
PLAN SELF
To teach problem solving skills and other life skills necessary to evaluate situations for more positive consequence.
COMMIT SELF
To introduce the acceptance of responsibilities and the importance of being responsible and feeling confident about commitments.
BUILD SELF
To learn to maintain and participate in civic duties to self, family and positive community lifestyle choices.
WHAT YOU CAN DO AS A PROVIDER OR AGENCY WANTING TO EXPLORE FURTHER
FOR OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE ACADEMY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN FATHERS:
Engage your program administrators, schools, churches, prisons, courts, social service agencies and fellow fatherhood programs and initiatives to consider an Academy to address the needs of a large population of African American that you serve. Most of all, talk to your African American clientele, they truly know what they want.
CONTACT US WE PROVIDE CONSULTATION SERVICES AND A PROGRAM AGENDA
Get involve by asking us how you can establish a pilot program in your area.
501 non profit organization,or existing fatherhood program and the Private sectors can benefit by sponsorship of a pilot program in their area.
We will give you all the details.
Antonio Celester
Director of Programs
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
A New Opportunity for African American Fathers
The Academy of African American Fathers was founded and established by an African American Brother named,Antonio Celester,of Boston Massachusetts. This training academy was designed to address the "unique issues" of African American fathers,who are in need of assistance and new contemporary approaches to becoming more successful in facing and dealing with their parental responsibilities.
These unique issues included,but not limited to, violence against each other,family abuses,poverty,negative images of Black fathers that distort our children's' ability to want to succeed or reproduce their own like kind,high homicide rates against each other with a code of silence,drug and alcohol abuse,high incarceration rates of fathers,disconnectedness of family, and high rates of negative lifestyle choices,leaving families without a responsible male role as essential elements.
There is no other race of people that meets all of these categories in excessive numbers. The numbers are the same no matter what city you are in and there are a significant number of African Americans present. This is the reality and this reality needs a real solution The Academy of African American Fathers is taking a new approach by addressing the need of African American fathers by approaching the fatherhood initiatives through the eyes of and from the African American experience of fatherhood.
We believe that fathers could make better choices when they learn more about those choices from those who made those choices and from those who use those choices under the same conditions as they may find themselves. We want to train African American fathers in the best practices for African African fathers and do so from a legacy point of view that enlightens fathers to new levels of consciousness in their responsibility as a parent. An examination or survey of the current fatherhood initiative programs around the country,purported to help fathers, are actually doing fathers a disservice.
First, most of those programs focus on the financial aspect of parenting. Most fathers are mandated to attend,which means they are "forced" by the courts or some other agency having the power to enforce child support laws. second,childhood educators are not being specific about their reasons for developing parental involvement initiatives targeting fathers and positive male role models.
Finally,the programs do not meet the Department of Health and Human Services mandate to be "culturally competent" to the people that program serves. In my personal view, "cultural competence" means that you must be "culturally qualified" in the program that serves that ethnic group;in this case it would be "fatherhood". The department of HHS use of the term "cultural competent" is the same as saying that they recognize that parenthood is "cultural" in nature and therefore to help people within that frame work you must be cultural competent. However, the department of HHS is not in a position to enforce such a theory.
It would amount to mandating programs to adjust to each cultural background of each diverse participant in each community in order to obtain such an objective. This ,of course, is impractical as applied in fatherhood programs. The practical solution would be to form ethnic based programs that address the needs of those ethnic groups,which everyone seems to agree is so diverse ,outside of the legal implications to all fathers. In short, the legal implications decide how you pay and that you pay and to whom you pay,but do not address how to become a better parent so that you feel good about paying and taking your responsibility as a father and can maintain that without legal force.
This was left to the department of HHS where fathers wanted help and the government had to respond, once fathers are held accountable and responsible for fathering children. The question then arise...who is more culturally competent than those from that culture. I submit that in this case, African American fathers are culturally competent to run African American fatherhood programs and agenda. Who is better experienced in African American fatherhood than African American fathers that have been positive roles, no matter what their circumstances dictated. Fathers should demand nothing less than someone cultural competent.
This shows that the program respects their legacies. If African American fathers truly want to change their situation and be counted as real fathers securing the future of all of our children,than we must look at the obvious way to do it. Learn from each other using our own family legacies and experiences,that we may have a chance to make better choices and at the same time change our negative mind set about how we look at each other and our family lifestyle choices.
We need to promote and produce more positive images of African American fathers and their children relationships and include our incarcerated fathers in the overall plan and new order for our family lifestyle choices. We can do this by establishing Academy training centers across the country. They will be set up as "pilot programs" with an African American legacy and experience approach to our fatherhood issues.
If you are a 501(c)(3) non profit organization or an existing fatherhood program or a program practitioner,or an agency that serves the African American population and you want to start or sponsor a pilot program in your area for the African American population, contact us: Academy of African American Fathers, 617-825-AAAF or sent us an email at blackfathersinc@hotmail.com.
Antonio Celester Founder/Director of Programs
These unique issues included,but not limited to, violence against each other,family abuses,poverty,negative images of Black fathers that distort our children's' ability to want to succeed or reproduce their own like kind,high homicide rates against each other with a code of silence,drug and alcohol abuse,high incarceration rates of fathers,disconnectedness of family, and high rates of negative lifestyle choices,leaving families without a responsible male role as essential elements.
There is no other race of people that meets all of these categories in excessive numbers. The numbers are the same no matter what city you are in and there are a significant number of African Americans present. This is the reality and this reality needs a real solution The Academy of African American Fathers is taking a new approach by addressing the need of African American fathers by approaching the fatherhood initiatives through the eyes of and from the African American experience of fatherhood.
We believe that fathers could make better choices when they learn more about those choices from those who made those choices and from those who use those choices under the same conditions as they may find themselves. We want to train African American fathers in the best practices for African African fathers and do so from a legacy point of view that enlightens fathers to new levels of consciousness in their responsibility as a parent. An examination or survey of the current fatherhood initiative programs around the country,purported to help fathers, are actually doing fathers a disservice.
First, most of those programs focus on the financial aspect of parenting. Most fathers are mandated to attend,which means they are "forced" by the courts or some other agency having the power to enforce child support laws. second,childhood educators are not being specific about their reasons for developing parental involvement initiatives targeting fathers and positive male role models.
Finally,the programs do not meet the Department of Health and Human Services mandate to be "culturally competent" to the people that program serves. In my personal view, "cultural competence" means that you must be "culturally qualified" in the program that serves that ethnic group;in this case it would be "fatherhood". The department of HHS use of the term "cultural competent" is the same as saying that they recognize that parenthood is "cultural" in nature and therefore to help people within that frame work you must be cultural competent. However, the department of HHS is not in a position to enforce such a theory.
It would amount to mandating programs to adjust to each cultural background of each diverse participant in each community in order to obtain such an objective. This ,of course, is impractical as applied in fatherhood programs. The practical solution would be to form ethnic based programs that address the needs of those ethnic groups,which everyone seems to agree is so diverse ,outside of the legal implications to all fathers. In short, the legal implications decide how you pay and that you pay and to whom you pay,but do not address how to become a better parent so that you feel good about paying and taking your responsibility as a father and can maintain that without legal force.
This was left to the department of HHS where fathers wanted help and the government had to respond, once fathers are held accountable and responsible for fathering children. The question then arise...who is more culturally competent than those from that culture. I submit that in this case, African American fathers are culturally competent to run African American fatherhood programs and agenda. Who is better experienced in African American fatherhood than African American fathers that have been positive roles, no matter what their circumstances dictated. Fathers should demand nothing less than someone cultural competent.
This shows that the program respects their legacies. If African American fathers truly want to change their situation and be counted as real fathers securing the future of all of our children,than we must look at the obvious way to do it. Learn from each other using our own family legacies and experiences,that we may have a chance to make better choices and at the same time change our negative mind set about how we look at each other and our family lifestyle choices.
We need to promote and produce more positive images of African American fathers and their children relationships and include our incarcerated fathers in the overall plan and new order for our family lifestyle choices. We can do this by establishing Academy training centers across the country. They will be set up as "pilot programs" with an African American legacy and experience approach to our fatherhood issues.
If you are a 501(c)(3) non profit organization or an existing fatherhood program or a program practitioner,or an agency that serves the African American population and you want to start or sponsor a pilot program in your area for the African American population, contact us: Academy of African American Fathers, 617-825-AAAF or sent us an email at blackfathersinc@hotmail.com.
Antonio Celester Founder/Director of Programs
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