Community Conversations: For the Love of Black Children 

Emerge is proud to be in partnership with Goodwill Youth Re-Engagement Centers, Boys to Men Tucson, and Omega Rho Zeta to facilitate "For the Love of Black Children" A Community Conversation. 

We invite you to join us for a community conversation focused on the intersection of domestic abuse, racism and targeted violence in our community.  Many families in the Black community who are seeking healing from the impact of domestic abuse are also facing the painful reality of systems that often target Black children in harmful ways and that do not view them as children.  We seek to understand this experience and rethink how we invest and advocate for Black children in ways that promote holistic models of safety and humanity in our community. 

Background: 

For the Love of Black Women Forum was an online event created by Jennifer O'Neill from Omega Rho Zeta in 2020 that focused on uplifting Black women and their experiences in their communities and the importance of support systems that affirm their value.  The discussion also highlighted the complexity of an experience where Black women are often celebrated for being "strong" and "resilient" and while these are important qualities, it also comes at the great personal cost of being invisibilized and a lack of support.  The event also featured Black men sharing stories about what the Black women in their lives have meant to them and how their relationship with Black women has shaped their identity and perspective.  

In 2022, the Juneteenth organizing committee facilitated a talking circle with Black men. The conversation focused on their experiences with masculinity, teachings they have received from other men, and the process of reintegrating into the community after being involved with the criminal justice system. Men discussed feelings and accessing support as well as growing up in single-parent households, often led by women in their life. 

For the Love of Black Children will be a facilitated conversation to understand the experience of Black mothers and the death anxiety they feel as a result of worrying about their children's ability to survive in a world that facilitates racism and harm as well as routing Black children into the criminal justice system or worse.  This constant reality only makes the harm of domestic abuse more isolating and leaves families without the resources and support to find healing.   We also seek to discuss the importance of prioritizing the wellness of Black men in building safe families.  We hope that this conversation will create a dialogue that bridges healing for families and validates the need for our entire community to take an active role in advocating for Black children and supporting their access to safety everywhere in their lives.