The Enduring Strength of the Black Family
Session Date and Time
Monday, August 16, 2021 at 5:00:00 PM UTC
For decades, if not centuries, the prevailing narrative about the Black American family has been a negative one. Negative stereotypes include, but are not limited to, the assumptions that Blacks do not value marriage, that the majority of Black fathers do not take responsibility for or involve themselves in the lives of their children, that Black parents are not sufficiently attentive to their children and do not value or invest in education, and that Black families are not interested in or willing to adopt children. While there is much work to do to strengthen all Americans families, critics have failed to recognize the enduring strengths of the Black American family. Faith and church attendance are associated with family health and strength. Black Americans remain more religious the average American. The future of the Black American family will be built by Black Americans on these strengths.
Session Overview
Speaker
Reverend Dean Nelson
Douglas Institute
Rev. Dean Nelson is VP of Government Relations. He and his wife Julia have three children and live in Maryland. Dean Nelson brings to Human Coalition more than 20 years of demonstrated success. Before taking the role as executive director of Human Coalition Action, Rev. Nelson faithfully served Human Coalition as the church outreach director for five years. Rev. Nelson was recently appointed by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to serve on the congressional Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission.
Rev. Nelson has worked for other major pro-life and Christian organizations. As part of Wellington Boone Ministries’ senior strategic planning team, Rev. Nelson helped plant ministries in capital cities such as Richmond, Virginia; Atlanta, Georgia; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Washington, D.C.
Rev. Nelson serves as the chairman of the board for the Douglass Leadership Institute. He is a licensed minister from Salem Baptist Church in Marshall, Virginia, and an ordained pastor with Wellington Boone Ministries. He holds a BA in Rhetoric and Communication from the University of Virginia, and completed post-graduate work at Coverdell Leadership Institute and Leadership Institute Campaign School.