Fathers and partners benefit from having their own Village to equip them for their fatherhood journey. Having support from friends, family, mentors, healthcare workers, colleagues, and advisors plays an important role in ensuring healthy and joyous births. Fathers are not only protectors and providers for their families, but they can also be the most powerful advocates for their partners before, during, and after birth when they have tools, information, and resources. The Los Angeles County African American Infant and Maternal Mortality (AAIMM) Prevention Initiative has invested in programs designed to specifically engage Black fathers: Black Daddy Dialogue and the Expecting Fathers Group for Black Dads, led by and for Black dads.
Help us in amplifying the messaging and awareness of AAIMM’s Fatherhood initiatives* as we highlight fathers and partners as key members of the village of support for expectant moms/birthing persons, and also as those greatly benefiting from their own village of support. Get started by checking out the profiles of some of the amazing Black fathers who encompass the AAIMM Village, join one of our support groups, or get information and resources that will help you create, cultivate, and activate your own Village as a dad or partner. Please also share this information with anyone who may need it. Together, we can #BeTheVillage of support for Black fathers and their families in an effort to end the unjustly high maternal and infant deaths in Los Angeles County and usher in healthy and joyous births for all.
Shout out to our Fatherhood Program Leads: Davion Mauldin, Fatherhood Coordinator, Perinatal Equity Initiative Division of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health, Health Promotion Bureau, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, and LeHenry Solomon, MFT.
Follow @blackinfantsandfamiliesla on Instagram for updates and use #AAIMM, #BlackDadsMatter, #BlackFatherhood, #DadsNeedAVillageToo, and #BeTheVillage to share your fatherhood journey with us.
*This campaign is being made possible through the California Department of Public Health’s Perinatal Initiative (PEI) funding. This publication was made possible by State of California General Funds. Contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the California Department of Public Health or State of California.
Recommendation as submitted by Supervisor Mitchell: Celebrate June 2024 as “Fatherhood Well-Being Month” throughout Los Angeles County; direct the Chief Executive Officer, the Directors of Public Social Services, Child Support Services, Children and Family Services, Mental Health, Public Health, Economic Opportunity and Youth Development, the Executive Director of Racial Equity, the Chief Probation Officer and the Public Defender, to promote father well-being resources and outreach events and activities through targeted outreach to underserved populations, public messaging efforts and social media, and add fathers as a subpopulation to each of the County’s prevention and promotion initiative’s focus areas and that focus area subcommittees work to further guide the implementation of the County’s recommendations and explore options to ensure that fathers have efficient access to accurate information and essential resources needed, as recommended in the Chief Executive Officer’s March 6, 2024 Workgroup Report; and take the following actions:
Direct the Chief Executive Officer, in collaboration with the Directors of Public Social Services, Children and Family Services, Mental Health, Public Health and Child Support Services, and the Chief Probation Officer, to report back to the Board in writing in 90 days on steps that the Departments have taken to adopt and implement the recommended changes from the Workgroup Report, prioritizing those that are cost neutral (e.g. hosting “brown bag” lunches with judges to address bias and racial equity, including disproportionality and ongoing disparities);
Direct the Chief Executive Officer to work with the Departments listed above, including the Chief Executive Officer’s Anti-Racism, Diversity, & Inclusion Initiative and the Center for Strategic Partnerships, to identify resources needed to carry out the directives, and report back to the Board in writing in 30 days; and
Instruct the Director of Public Health to work with individuals with lived experience to design education and awareness efforts that are dad-affirming and incorporate common health issues affecting men, with services and partnerships to include the following:
Free health screenings for men, including blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, and prostate exams; Collaboration with community-based organizations for care coordination to connect men with healthcare providers and resources in the community; A public health awareness campaign focused on men’s health and well-being; and Creation of a toolkit for fathers to support them in supporting their own and their family’s health.
UPCOMING EVENTS
coming soon
EXPECTING FATHERS GROUP FOR BLACK DADS
- New sessions begin every month
The Expecting Fathers Group is designed specifically for Black soon-to-be fathers and provides education, support and navigation tools for the prenatal, labor and delivery, postpartum and early parenting periods.
This group runs for 5 (five) consecutive weeks. With the knowledge gained and community created in the group, expectant dads can best support their birthing partners, work to reduce stress, and prepare for baby and family bonding.
Expecting Fathers Group is led by Davion Mauldin, MS, DPH Fatherhood Coordinator.
To sign up for our Free Zoom workshops, please email: [email protected]
BLACK DADDY DIALOGUE - EVERY 2ND WEDNESDAY!
An open forum, drop-in platform for expectant, new and experienced fathers that propels their proactive engagement in their children’s and partners’ lives. The group creates a safe space for growth, feeding the mind, body and spirit of fathers as they raise their children and support their partners.
Black Daddy Dialogue meets virtually every second Wednesday of the month, led by LeHenry Solomon, LMFT (DPH Fatherhood Consultant) and co-facilitated by Davion Mauldin, MS (DPH Fatherhood Coordinator) and Jason Dawson, MPH (DPH Center for Health Equity).
Q & A With Davion Mauldin, DPH Fatherhood Coordinator
We recently asked Davion Mauldin, MS, Los Angeles Department of Public Health Fatherhood Coordinator, a few questions about his fatherhood journey. We hope his answers will inspire you and give insight into the incredibly important role that fathers play in the lives of their children. Davion also heads the Expecting Fathers Group for Black Dads, which has a new five-week educational workshop kicking off on Tuesday, January 25.
What does being a father mean to you?
Being a father to me means providing all that my child needs to be healthy and happy while being vulnerable enough to know when I need help providing those things so she is always loved and cared for the way she deserves.
How has fatherhood changed your life?
Fatherhood changed my life for the better. It added a person in my life who has challenged me to continuously grow daily and learn to adapt to the ever-changing world she is growing up in. No day is the same, no lesson too small to learn, no problem is too big to handle, and I learned that from her.
Are you an expectant Black father, or do you have one in your Village? Sign up for the FREE Expecting Father Group Zoom workshops by emailing Davion at: [email protected]. Please also feel free to share this information with your Village.
CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD
THE EXPECTING FATHER TIP GUIDE!
DOWNLOAD THE EXPECTING FATHER TIP GUIDE
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