by Lorena Gonzalez

Luis Zayas, Lisa Cummins, and I, were invited to take part in the launch of President Obama’s next phase of the Fatherhood Initiative, introduced last year to engage fathers throughout the country in the lives of their children and families.

Obama’s plan includes the establishment of a Fatherhood, Marriage and Families Innovation Fund to support the best and most successful initiatives in states and communities offering services such as job training, parenting skills classes and domestic violence prevention. The plan also calls for helping dads get caught up on child support payments and finding transitional jobs for ex-offenders and low-income, non-custodial fathers. In addition, the Justice Department will create a Fathering Re-Entry Court to reach dads as they’re leaving the criminal justice system  to help them find jobs, make child support payments and reconnect with their families.

A panel of individuals at the event highlighted the personal impact of their own fathers. One told of his father driving him back and forth to college classes, and the impact that quality time had on his life.

“The key message I think all of us want to send today to fathers all across the country,” President Obama said, is that “our children don’t need us to be superheroes. They don’t need us to be perfect.  They do need us to be present.  They need us to show up and give it our best shot, no matter what else is going on in our lives.  They need us to show them -- not just with words, but with deeds -- that they, those kids, are always our first priority."

Guests at the event were invited to bring their children with them to the event. Dr. Luis Zayas, NAHF Research Committee chairman, was asked to sit with his son on stage. “It was such an honor to share this moment with my son,” Zayas said.

Top Photo:  Dr. Luis Zayas pictured on back row with his son during President Obama's fatherhood speech.

Bottom Photo:  President Obama interacts with fathers and sons.

Joshua DuBois, the Director of the White House Office for Neighborhood Partnerships, and Stephanie Valencia, the White House Associate Director in the Office of Public Engagement, discussed the importance of the Hispanic community, and asked for our input and engagement in the Administration’s activities. 

With the upcoming celebration of Father’s Day, Mr. DuBois talked about the Administration’s  efforts to provide opportunities and supports for fathers and families.  He invited Hispanic leaders to join the effort to support fatherhood initiatives in our communities. 

Following the White House presentation, conference call participants were invited to share comments and questions.  The common theme among these comments focused on, 1) the need to increase funding for existing father, marriage, and family programs, and, 2) the importance of  incorporating family components into fatherhood initiatives.

Some 80 organizations affiliated with the National Alliance for Hispanic Families participated in the call.  We look forward to keeping our network informed of similar opportunities as we continue to help Hispanic families reach their greatest potential.

Just one year ago this month, NAHF launched its effort to strengthen Hispanic families during a Washington, DC summit attended by individuals representing government, academic and community interests from across the country. During the summit, national leaders incuding Henry Cisneros and Congressman Raul Grijalva challenged NAHF to harness public and private resources to address issues facing Latinos.  One year later, we are 300 members strong and growing daily.

Our accomplishments over the past year are many. Through town hall meetings in San Antonio, Houston, New York, Miami, Puerto Rico, Chicago, and Las Vegas, we learned of the needs and dreams of your communities.  These meetings brought together elected officials, community, business, and faith-based leaders, as well as parents and students.

In many areas, small groups were formed from these town hall meetings to move forward the NAHF agenda.  In Puerto Rico, for example, a group of 40 individuals gathered to talk about challenges within the Latino community there.  This group set priorities and mapped out an approach to address these issues and recently applied for a federal teen pregnancy grant.

We now communicate with thousands of interested readers through this new website and blog, and our short video on families has been shown at several conferences across the country. Leaders of NAHF spoke at the Latino Leaders Summit at the University of Texas in  Austin, and have been invited to participate in White House and administration discussions about Hispanics and their needs and growing role in this country.  This week NAHF researchers participated  in the 13^th annual Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference sponsored by  the Administration for Children and Families to improve the effectiveness of the programs it sponsors.

And along with all this work, NAHF was recently awarded a Kellogg Racial Healing Grant aimed at promoting racial equity, and the group’s director, Dr. Lorena Gonzalez, received the prestigious Angel Award from the Red Dress Society for her work with NAHF and the Latino community.

Overall, our first year has been a success. We thank you for your support and constant feedback, and look forward to the next twelve months of even greater achievement in helping Hispanic families reach their potential. We invite you to join the Alliance and become part of this exciting work.

PHOTOS ABOVE: 

Joe Hernandez, Family Wellness Associates, leads an interactive discussion on families at the NAHF Summit, held June 2, 2009 in Washington, DC.

Small group meeting in Puerto Rico to develop strategy for strengthening Hispanic families.