Webinar: Historical Framework on Traditional African American Parenting and Discipline
“Parenting practices around the world share three major goals: ensuring children’s health and safety, preparing children for life as productive adults, and transmitting cultural values.”
— American Psychological Association
There is something basic and universal about the purpose of parenting, but how moms and dads approach their jobs is all over the map.
In a 2015 Pew Research survey, 32% of Black parents said they often/sometimes used spanking as a form of discipline with their children — more than double the percentage of their white counterparts.
Research has found that physical punishment isn’t effective and can cause lasting harm for children. So why do parents — good people who are doing their best to raise good kids — continue this practice?
In order to fully understand this and other traditional African American/Black parenting and discipline practices, it’s important to understand the historical, cultural, and physiological factors that influenced these parenting styles. In this webinar, child welfare expert Dr. Angelique Anderson walks us through this.
In this webinar, Dr. Anderson:
- Identifies culturally specific, historical frameworks contributing to African American/Black modalities of parenting.
- Explores the differences of organic cultural parenting styles versus adaptive cultural parenting styles.
- Identifies positive and negative effects of the use of traditional forms of African American/Black parenting styles.
- Identifies modern forms of effective parenting strategies for African American/Black children.
About the presenter:
Dr. Angelique Anderson is a social worker by trade, having earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from California State University, Sacramento, with a concentration in Child Welfare through the Title IV-E Initiative. Angelique earned her Doctorate Degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California (USC); her Capstone Project focused on addressing the issues of disparate treatment of Black children and families before and during Child Welfare Services (CWS) intervention, which is reflected in their disproportionate representation and outcomes within CWS, through unique, compounded innovative strategies. Angelique has experience working in the CWS field in both private and public sectors, and both she and her husband were kinship care providers through the foster care system. She currently serves as a Social Worker and Perinatal Mental Health Professional at the Solano County Black Infant Health Program, provides technical assistance training related to case management strategies and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Healthy Families of America (Solano County chapter), and is a Co-Facilitator for a perinatal, maternal and infant health equity initiative entitled, Solano HEALs (Health Equity for African American/Black Lives). Her favorite quote is from Frederick Douglass: “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
In her free time, Angelique volunteers with the Children and Music Ministries at her church. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Northern California.
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Related Resources
- PowerPoint: Historical Framework on Traditional African American Parenting & Discipline©
- Handout: Traditional African Views on Parenting
- Spare The Kids
- Successful Black Parenting Magazine
- Her Health First: Black Mothers United
- Videos from the presentation: