Healthy African American Families II
(HAAF)
PRESENTS
The Building Bridges to Optimum Health Conference Series
HEALTHY FAMILIES-PROTECTING THE TIES THAT
BIND
(A CLOSE LOOK AT OUR SAFETY NETS)
October 21, 2011
8:30 AM to 3:00 PM
The CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CENTER
700 Exposition Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90037
PROGRAM
Sponsored By:
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Cedars Sinai Medical Center
University of California Los Angeles
California Legislative Black Caucus
Accelerating Excellence in Translational Medicine
Center to Eliminate Health Care Disparities, Division of Cancer Research and Training, Charles R. Drew University
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HEALTHY FAMILIES – PROTECTING THE TIES THAT BIND
(A Close Look At Our Safety Nets)
Agenda
7:30-8:00
Ongoing Registration
8:00-8:30
Opening – Conference Overview
Mervyn M. Dymally, Ph.D., Director, Urban Health Institute, Charles Drew University
of Medicine and Science
Loretta Jones, MA, Founder/C.E.O., Healthy African American Families II
Alana Troutt, M.A., C.E.O., Troutt Group, LCC, Today’s Moderator
8:30-9:00
Pre-Test: ARS System
9:00-10:00
Panel I
What Community Perceives as Strengths /Challenges
Within the Safety Net Systems
Phelicia Wright, Performing Arts
Anthony Brown & Royce Jobe, HAAFII Men’s Project
DeAnn D’Antignac, Kinship Care Participant, Community Coalition
Bobby Jackson, Former Foster Youth, Homeboy Industries
Ricky Harris, The Middle Class Perspective, Private Industry
10:00-10:15
Break
10:15-11:15
Panel II
Best Practices Within the Safety Net Systems
Eric Marts, Director, M.A., LA County Department of Children & Family Services
Randy Leffall, S.D.P.O., B.A.S.W., Los Angeles Probation Department
Mary Rollins, L.C.S.W., Retired Director, Westside Regional Center
11:15-12:00
Panel III
Working In Partnership with Safety Net Systems – Extending
the Reach of Services
Joseph Devall, Director, Kinship in Action, The Community Coalition
Darcel Harris-Lee, Executive Director, California Black Health Network
Jose Ramos, M.S.W., Director of Community Services, The Children’s Bureau
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12:00-1:00
Lunch Keynote – Family Resiliency
Rev. Joyce Kitchen, M.S.W., PA, Pastor, Emmanuel/Turner AME Church
1:00-1:30
Ingathering – Revving Up for the Afternoon
Rev. Charles Johnson, M.S.W., CEO, National Family Life and Education Center
1:30-2:30
Planning Families Before the Cradle – Healthy Across the Lifespan
Bowen Chung, M.D., M.S.H.S., Harbor/UCLA La Biomed, RAND
Calvin Hobel, M.D., Cedars Sinai Medical Center
2:30 – 3:00
A Call to Action – The Work Continues
Aziza Lucas–Wright, ME.d., Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
3:00- 3:30
Wrap Up – Evaluation Martha Boisseau, M.P.H., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
3:30
Adjourn
This timely conference is sponsored by Healthy African American Families II, in partnership with Charles R.
Drew University of Medicine and Science, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, University of
California, Los Angeles, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, California Legislative Black Caucus, and Accelerating
Excellence in Translational Medicine.
In the tradition of the Building Bridges to Optimum Health Series, this Conference will:
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Continue to provide a platform for the voice of Community relative to this topic.
Continue to serve as a “Bridge” between Community, Service Providers, Policy-Makers and
other Stakeholders for knowledge transfer leading to best practice.
Heighten the discussion of Safety Net Systems and their role in Community stabilization and
optimum health/wellness.
Provide information that will increase the awareness of Preterm Delivery considerations
relative to Safety Net services and beyond.
Continue to coordinate and support working groups aimed at sustaining the dialogue and
efforts regarding Safety Net system service provision.
The questions answered by this conference are:
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What is a Safety Net?
Who and What make up Safety Net systems that serve the Community?
Are our Safety Net Systems keeping us Safe?
What happens when Safety Net policies and practices succeed/ fail?
How can interested stakeholders strengthen Safety Nets?
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“Building Bridges to Optimum Health” is an ongoing series of community partnered participatory research
projects directed toward educating the community and creating an opportunity for interaction between the
lay community, community-based organizations, health care providers, the department of health services and
academic medical centers. The health of the South Los Angeles community has been the driving force in
building the community bridges. Major health disparities are discussed by community and then organized
through a collaborative academic/community process. This has led to community educational seminars on
topics ranging from preterm delivery, women’s health, clinical research, pain management, clinical research,
research ethics, memory disorders, mental health, childhood asthma, environmental health/justice, violence,
chronic kidney disease and diabetes. These collaborations have also enabled new relationships between
community and academia that have created new strategies to deliver effective educational messages, creating
criterion for conducting the highest quality evidenced-based research and providing care. The development of
new research strategies has been generated through community input and published in the medical
community bringing a new awareness and validity to the process.
WHAT IS A SAFETY NET?
A safety net is a method, service, or intervention that is designed to keep the identified person(s) free of
intended or unintended hurt and harm. Just like the well-known safety net under on a tight wire, this strategy
“catches up” the vulnerable individual before the point of danger.
WHO ARE OUR SAFETY NET ENTITIES?
Today, we are pleased to exchange knowledge, experiences and emerging ideas with Los Angeles County’s
Department of Children and Family Services, Department of Probation, Westside Regional Center, Cedars Sinai
Medical Center, and the Centers for Disease Control. Other safety net systems include the Department of
Health Services, the Department of Mental Health, the Employment Development Division, the Housing
Authority, the City of Los Angeles Department of Aging, Gang Reduction Youth Development, Police, Fire, and
other governmental entities.
Alongside these entities, we are proud to work shoulder-to-shoulder with stellar community-based
organizations that extend the reach of safety net services. Today, we hear from The Community Coalition,
Healthy African American Families, Magnolia Place (Children’s Bureau of Southern California), Homeboy
Industries, California Black Health Network, the Faith Community, and National Family Life and Education
Center. Many of you who are here today are representing some of our finest community-based/ communityfocused institutions. You help create the seamless web of services that support, protect, and mobilize
families.
Together, we all make up the Safety Net continuum our community needs and deserves for maximum
development and well-being.
We have included a Resource Booklet for your assistance. Inside, you will find a wealth of service providers
who, again, extend the reach of the safety net services. Please feel free to contact us at Healthy African
American Families if you know of service providers that need to be added or if service providers who are listed
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have been discontinued. As we continue to present the “Bridges” series, we will do all we can to provide an
updated version of this guide.
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CONFERENCE SPEAKERS AND MODERATORS
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Ms. Martha Boisseau M.P.H., C.H.E.S. , Senior Advisor to the Chief, The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention
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Mr. Anthony Brown: Project Coordinator, Healthy African American Families II, The Men’s Project
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Bowen Chung M.D., M.S.H.S. Assistant Professor Department of Psychiatry, Harbor UCLA, LA BioMed,
RAND
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Ms. DeAnn D’Antignac, Kinship Care Participant - Community Coalition
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Mr. Joseph Devall, Director, Kinship in Action (KIA), Community Coalition
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Dr. Mervyn Dymally, Ph.D., Director, Urban Health Institute, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine
and Science
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Mr. Ricky Harris, Private Industry, Civic Stakeholder
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Calvin Hobel M.D., Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatrics; Miriam Jacobs Chair,
Maternal Fetal Medicine, Cedars Sinai Medical Center
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Mr. Bobby Jackson, Homeboy Industries
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Mr. Royce Jobe, Assistant Project Coordinator, Healthy African American Families II, The Men’s Project
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Rev. Charles L. Johnson, M.S.W., CEO, National Family Life & Education Center
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Ms. Loretta Jones, M.A., Founder/CEO, Healthy African American Families II
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Rev. Joyce Kitchen, P.A., M.S.W., Pastor, Emmanuel/Turner African Methodist Episcopal Church
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Ms. Darcel Harris-Lee, CEO, California Black Health Network
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Mr. Randi Leffall, Administrative Deputy Probation Officer, Dept. of Probation
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Ms. Aziza Lucas-Wright, M.Ed., Community Instructor, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and
Science, RAND Corp.
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Mr. Eric Marts, M.A., Deputy Director, Dept. of Children and Family Services
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Mr. Jose Ramos, M.S.W., Director of Community Services, The Children’s Bureau of Southern California
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Ms. Mary Rollins, L.C.S.W., Retired- Director, Westside Regional Center
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Ms. Phelicia Wright, Performing Arts, Community Stakeholder
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Brief Biographies of Speakers and Moderators for Today’s Conference
Ms Loretta Jones
As a “Community Gatekeeper,” Ms. Jones has dedicated her entire life towards the hope and healing of community and
society-at-large. Her career as a civil rights activist, health policy advocate, and social architect has spanned more than
30 years. In an effort to level the playing field for all people, Ms. Jones continues her unyielding commitment as a
change agent against disparities in human health, development, and opportunity.
She is a Co-Investigator of the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Health (NIH), UCLA/RAND Center
for Research on Quality in Managed Care; The National Institute on Aging, NIH/UCLA Center for Health Improvement in
Minority (CHIME); and the NIH, Drew/UCLA Project EXPORT, as well as a recipient of numerous Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) grants and contracts. Ms. Jones is a member of the UCLA Institutional Review Board (IRB)
for protection of human subjects. She was also recently honored by the CDC as its first recipient of the “National
Contribution to Minority Health Programs, Research and Surveillance” Award from the “National Contribution to
Minority Health Programs, Research and Surveillance” Award from its Department of Reproductive Health, an award for
public leadership in overcoming health disparities.
Mr. Mervyn M. Dymally
A former California Assemblyman, State Senator, Lt. Governor and US Congressman, Mervyn M. Dymally has returned to
where he began his political career in the area of education, in South Los Angeles at the Charles R. Drew University of
Medicine and Science. Regarded as a senior member of the Legislature, Dymally was elected by his peers as Chairman of
the Assembly Democratic Study Group, an organization committed to promoting progressive social and economic
legislation.
Assemblyman Dymally earned a BA in education from Los Angeles State College, MA in Government, California State
University at Sacramento; and a PhD. from the United States International University at San Diego, California (now
Alliant International University).
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A teacher before entering the political arena, Dymally’s career began with teaching handicapped children in the Los
Angeles Unified School District. He was a lecturer at various universities, including posts at Central State University,
Ohio and the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science.
Dr. Dymally, a native of Trinidad, British West Indies, completed high school there and worked as a fledgling labor
reporter for the “The Vanguard,” a weekly newspaper published by the Oil Worker Trade Union. At 19 years of age, the
Caribbean youth came the United States to study journalism at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. After a cold
winter, he traveled to sunny California to attend Chapman College in Los Angeles and later transferred to Los Angeles
State College.
While teaching, he joined the Young Democrats and served as State Treasurer. In 1960 he was actively involved in the
Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Later he has chosen Field Coordinator the John F. Kennedy Campaign
for President, two years later, he successfully ran for the State Assembly. In 1966, he became the first African American
to serve in the State Senate, and was soon elected as Chairman of the Senate Majority Caucus.
In 1974, he made history when he was elected the first of two African American Lieutenant Governors in the United
States. Later he was elected Congressman from South Los Angeles County, the first foreign-born Black to be elected as a
Member of the US Congress. During this time, he also served as Chairman of Congressional Black Caucus and Chairman
of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa.
Dymally retired from Congress in 1992. Since then, he has traveled extensively to Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean as a
foreign affairs consultant. He currently serves as Honorary Consul to the Republic of Benin in West Africa and Chief
Protocol Officer of California Assembly. He presently servers as Director, Urban Health Institute, Charles Drew
University of Medicine and Science, Professor, College of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, California. Married to
former school teacher Alice Gueno, a native of New Orleans, Assemblyman Dymally is the father of two children, Mark,
and Lynn and grandfather to Miya, Christian and Cameron.
Ms Alana Troutt
Alana Troutt is the Principal Consultant for the Troutt Group, LLC. She holds bachelor degrees in Education and one in
Business Administration with a major in Accounting and a minor in Finance, and a Masters in Accounting. Previously,
Alana worked as the health committee consultant on staff in the office of Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally, as well as the
Constituency Affairs Manager. Her experience also includes CFO of Turning Point Communications/Turning Point
Magazine; Adjunct Professor of Accounting at Ana G. Mendez University System, Puerto Rico; and Drama/Literature
Facilitator with the Ministry of Education, Trinidad and Tobago and the United Nations. Her children plays are used as
teaching tools by the Ministry of Education. Alana serves on the Board of the TPC Foundation, Inc., the California Black
Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Community Life Improvement Program (CLIP), and California Association of African
American Advocacy Professionals (C4AP).
Ms Phelicia Wright
Ms Wright is a native from Los Angeles who is a single mother of 5 beautiful children, Sierra (17), Shannon (13), Staci
(12), Lawrence (11), and London (7). She went to LAUSD her entire formal school years. All of Phelicia's children are
working entertainers and they all love God.
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Ms. Wright has been in the entertainment field for almost 30 years and currently sings with B McCargo and Kingdom
Worship. She attends Ward AME Church and her love and zest for God keeps her going on through whatever challenges
life has in store. Phelicia is an avid roller skater that travels across the country. She is also currently with a skate group
called, The Glam Squad, a group of women that skate for the cause of breast cancer prevention. She is also the casting
director for a new rollerskating tv show called, United We Bounce, which should air 2012.
While life has thrown some wrenches, she's been able to come through it all with the help and guidance of God. Her
personal motto for everyday is, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life, what are you going to do with it?".
Mr Anthony Brown
He has worked and volunteered within non-profit community agencies in the South Los Angeles area since he was in
Junior High School. He currently works for Healthy African American Families Phase II (HAAF) as the Men’s Health and
Preterm Delivery Coordinator. His prior engagements include working and volunteering with Planned Parenthood L.A. as
the Sex Education Advocator for teens, National Family Life and Education as an Outreach Worker, Community Coalition
as a volunteer for community change during his teen age years. Anthony Brown has also participated in numerous
community forms and focus groups. He is actively involved in community change.
Mr Bobby Ray Jackson
A dedicated son, father of three, and husband. Before becoming a father, Bobby struggled as a juvenile in and out of
correctional facilities, not having any positive male role models. Bobby was born in prison, and taken care of by his
beloved aunt who took care of him, his two older brothers, countless cousins, and 6 of her own children. Bobby has
grown into a man of GOD, and has turned his life around taking care of his family, raising his kids with love and positivity,
making sure his son doesn’t take the same avenues he did.
Bobby is a hard, dedicated worker, since the age of 19 in the Greater Los Angeles Area. He’s worked in different fields
such as landscaping, restaurants, a Junior Fire Fighter and in Construction. He is currently working for a non-profit
organization Homeboy Industries, and going to school to further his education. He was previously involved in the Men’s
Dialog group at Healthy African American Families.
Mr Eric Marts
Eric Marts began his career with the County of Los Angeles as a Deputy Probation Officer at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in
1975. In 1979, Eric went to the Department of Children and Family Services to work as a Children’s Social Worker in the
former Southwest office (Region VI) and was promoted to Supervisor after five years. Eric’s supervisory experience also
included the Exposition Park and Pomona offices. He later became Senior Departmental Personnel Technician at
Maclaren Children’s Center where, among other personnel duties, he was responsible for investigating complaints
during a period when Maclaren was experiencing many challenges.
After the Maclaren assignment, Eric became the Civil Service Advocate advocating on the Department’s behalf at both
the Civil Service and the Employee Relations Commissions. He went on to become Deputy Regional Administrator in the
El Monte office where he had the opportunity to manage a variety of programs including Emergency Response, Intake
Evaluation, Family Maintenance and Reunification, Permanency Planning and Dependency Investigations.
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When the El Monte and Pomona offices moved to Covina, Eric became the Region I Manager for all front-end services;
including Emergency Response and Dependency Investigations for the Pasadena, Pomona and Covina offices. Eric later
moved to the Lakewood office to manage Emergency Response and Family Preservation services. In November 1997, he
became the Department’s Family Preservation Program Manager. In this capacity, he continued the work of his
predecessor and helped to develop the concept for the Compton Demonstration Project; a program that refers
unsubstantiated cases to Family Preservation agencies in Compton.
In 2000, Eric Marts was requested to develop and implement a new bureau called the Bureau of Child Protection.
Further, while managing this bureau, Eric developed and implemented a new front-end service delivery system that
would address the many shortcomings of the then front end system. The new service delivery model “Point of
Engagement (POE)” was designed to reduce the number of children entering foster care and help to increase
reunification and permanency efforts. The POE service delivery model has been highly successful and is now a
“countywide front-end approach”.
As acting Bureau Chief, Mr. Marts also worked with his staff to create the Multi-Disciplinary Assessment Teams that
ensures mental health, educational and developmental assessments for all children entering care. He also assisted staff
in developing the Multi-Agency Response Team (MART) which has social workers accompanying law enforcement
officers on special gang, narcotic, and weapons operations when children are found to be in danger.
Eric Marts is now the Deputy Director for Services Bureau 2 of Los Angeles County’s Department of Children and Family
Services where he oversees the Child Protection Hotline and the Emergency Response Command Post. Additionally, Eric
Marts oversees four regional operations that include the Compton Project, Vermont Corridor, Wateridge, and the West
Los Angeles offices.
Mr Randi Leffall
SDPO Randi Leffall, graduate of SFSU School of Social work and Journalism, is a 26-year veteran of the Los Angeles
County Probation Department. He is the Community College liaison for the L.A. County Probation Department’s
Educational Program M.I.T., which is a national model for restorative justice. Currently, Mr. Leffall is also the Supervising
Deputy Probation officer charged with developing and implementing the L.A. County Probation Department’s
countywide Intern Initiative. For 15 years Leffall was a juvenile investigation and supervision deputy. Leffall has handled
all types of cases: From petty theft to internet terrorism to first degree murder. In his time he has sent 14 death
certificates to the juvenile court, highlighting the reality that the Los Angeles County is an “urban area” in crisis and that
our youth often face life and death decisions everyday. Mr. Leffall is a field instructor with several Southern California
Universities where he mentors interns in various academic disciplines such as Social Work, Criminal Justice, and other
behavioral sciences. Leffall has received two, prestigious “Outstanding Field Instructor Awards” from CSULA School of
Social Work in May of 2001, and again in 2005.
Twice nominated for Social Worker of the Year for the United States by Cal State University Long Beach School of Social
Work for his many years of advocating on the behalf of at-risk youth, he received the California Senate Lifetime
Achievement Award. From his department, in 2003, Mr. Leffall was given the Arnold Garcia Award given by the Local
685 Probation Union. Mr. Garcia is the only Probation Officer in the history of L.A. County Probation to be killed in the
line of duty. In 2004, Mr. Lefall was celebrated by being awarded the Karl Holton Award by his peers for his outstanding
work with at-risk youth, as well as his mentoring to numerous college interns who have since either become employees
of the probation department or have moved on to seek advanced degrees. He was recognized by congress woman
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Maxine Waters for contributing to the quality of life of Los Angeles youth. In 2010, Mr. Leffall received the 15 year
service Award from CSULB School of Social Work for his work with their undergraduate and graduate Social Work
program. Recently, Mr. Leffall was honored with the Arlyn Webster Spirit of Service Award, which is presented each
year by the California Probation, Parole, and Correctional Association (CPPCA). The award is given to members who
exemplify a commitment to CPPCA, fellow officers, personal development and education. Mr. Leffall is committed to
and passionate about his line of work and his duties in serving the community’s future: the youth. Leffall’s motto is: “If
it’s for the kid, I’m for it!”- Betty Ainsworth
Very recently retired, Mary Rollins was the Director of Client Services for Westside Regional Center in Culver City,
California form 1982 – 2009. As such, she was responsible for planning, directing and coordinating the work of the
intake and Case Management Division, which is composed of eight supervisors, seventy-five counselors, eleven clinical
staff and served five thousand clients. She designed and implemented services delivery systems, effective work
procedures, work plans and division’s objectives and priorities. Mary supervised, selected, and trained staff; provided
performance and career counseling; developed standards and guidelines for productivity and quality of work performed.
Mary has four years of clinical and custodial team supervision in a residential setting; nine years of
supervision/management of counseling specialists and clerical staff in an interdisciplinary human services agency; varied
experience in developing, implementing and evaluating case management systems and procedures as well as extensive
participation in budget development and coordination of interdisciplinary services and generic agency interface.
Mary has twelve years of providing individual, family and group and co-joint therapy; utilizing a psycho-dynamic
approach. Mary’s formal training occurred at UCLA, with a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree, Master’s of Social Work Degree
and Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of California.
Mr Joseph Devall
Mr Devall serves as the Director of Kinship in Action (KIA), a project of Community Coalition; a community-based
organization in South Los Angeles focused on bringing African Americans and Latinos together to improve social and
economic conditions. Over the years Joseph has directed the organization’s efforts to make neighborhoods safer by
cleaning up problem business, and provide kinship families with greater access to public resources through the “Family
Care” campaign. Joseph has held positions with LA County’s Children’s Planning Council, and Casey Family Programs,
working on capacity building, and in direct service. A product of family care himself, Joseph currently manages
Community Coalition’s Kinship organizing, which recruits Relative Caregivers to become involved in community
organizing as a vehicle to improve the health and well-being of their relatives’ children by developing the Caregivers’
leadership skills, involving them in collective advocacy, and hosting supportive programs.
Ms Brenda Darcel Lee
Brenda “Darcel” Lee was hired in October 2010 as the new Executive Director of the California Black Health Network.
Formerly the Associate Director for Emergency Management and Planning at the California Primary Care Association,
Darcel brings over 30 years of healthcare policy, legislative, and leadership experience to CBHN.
Darcel began her healthcare career with Hospital Affiliates International (HAI) in Nashville, TN. Here she served as the
company’s lobbyist at both the state and federal levels. For her work that resulted in a savings of millions of dollars to
the hospital industry, the former Governor of the State of Tennessee, Winfield Dunn, awarded Darcel a special
commendation. When HAI was merged with Hospital Corporation of America, a Fortune 500 company, Mrs. Lee was
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hired as a Vice President to run the marketing and public relations departments for HCA’s 150 managed hospitals. At
HCA, Darcel also trained hospital administrators and executives in the special art of legislative advocacy. For her ability
to effectively educate and train hospital PR directors, hospital administrators, and staff, and for a publication that she
wrote, designed and published, Darcel received the Award of Merit from the International Association of Business
Communicators. After leaving HCA, Darcel continued to consult for them, for Adventist Health Systems, and for a
number of independent hospitals and health care entities.
Mrs. Lee has also worked in an executive capacity for the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau where she won the
Hospitality Professional of the Year Award, directed the Speakers Bureau for the world renowned Ken Blanchard
Companies, and directed the education department for the California Special Districts Association. Additionally, for more
than seven years, Darcel established and successfully managed her own company, Harris Meeting Management
Associates (HMMA), winning numerous citations and commendations, including Meetings Professional of the Year, for
her work with a variety of distinguished clients.
In 2005, Darcel made a calculated decision to return to both the non-profit and healthcare environments. Drawing from
her policy and legislative background and her administrative leadership experience, Darcel took on the challenge of
reorienting the California Black Health Network. She now works in concert with the CBHN Board of Directors to focus the
organization’s efforts on policy, advocacy, and regulatory issues that particularly impact California’s African American
safety-net population.
Mrs. Lee is a native of Inglewood, CA and has a Bachelors Degree in Business Management with an emphasis in
organizational development. She lives in Glen Cove, California with her husband, Yusuf Jamal Lee, also a healthcare
professional managing primary care clinics for the San Francisco Veterans Medical Center. Darcel plans to begin her
Masters in Public Policy Administration in the Spring of 2012.
Rev. Joyce Reece Kitchen
Rev. Joyce Reece Kitchen is the Pastor of Emmanuel - Henry McNeal Turner African Methodist Episcopal Church. She
served as a Physician Assistant for over 17 years, helping children and families enhance their quality of life physically,
emotionally, and spiritually. Many of the parents of the patients looked to Rev. Kitchen as a “surrogate mother”, as she
taught young parents how to effectively care for their children, and enhance their personal lives. During her tenure as a
Physician Assistant, the Reverend witnessed firsthand the incredible emotional pain and sicknesses that polluted the
lives of the many families she serviced. In 1997 she stepped out on faith, leaving a high paying job, and comfortable
career. Reverend Kitchen returned to school at the ripe age of 42 years old, showing the world that when we submit to
God’s will, there is nothing that can prevent us from accomplishing God’s purpose for our lives. Two years later Rev.
Kitchen received her Masters Degree in Social Welfare. Upon receiving her MSW from UCLA, She worked for the Los
Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Adoptions unit, helping abused children find families to
love and care for them.
Rev. Kitchen subsequently left the Department to join her son, Rev. Charles Lee Johnson, who was the CEO of the
nonprofit agency, National Family & Life Center, a vibrant institution created by his father, her husband, the late Rev.
Ronald Johnson. She accepted the position of COO and assisted him in expanding the foundation’s national and
international work. At NFLEC Rev. Kitchen provided a myriad of services including Human Resources, employee
supervision and direct client services such as transitional housing for emancipated foster children under the age of 18.
The agency had a 90% graduation rate for its students with many continuing on to pursue higher education.
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Born and raised in Los Angeles, Rev. Joyce Kitchen earned her Bachelors degree in Sociology from the University of
Southern California (USC), a Bachelors degree in Health Science from California State University at Dominguez Hills
(CSUDH) and a P.A. Certification from Charles R. Drew Postgraduate Medical School. She is the mother of five children
and the grandmother of eleven.
Rev. Charles Lee-Johnson
Rev. Charles Lee-Johnson is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Family Life and Education Center, and provides
consultation and training services both locally and nationally. Mr. Lee-Johnson has received numerous commendations
including: State of California, County of Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Unified School District, Compton
Unified School District, King Drew Medical Hospital, UCLA Dept. of Social Welfare and Public Policy, Ohio Abstinence
Campaign, California State Legislature, Alaska’s South Central Foundation, National Fatherhood Initiative, Indiana Black
Expo, National Association of Social Workers, Department of Children and Family Services, and most recently, Rev. LeeJohnson was inducted into the Library of Congress’ “Who’s Who” for 2006-2007. Rev. Lee-Johnson is working
collaboratively with the White House for the Helping America’s Youth Conference series. Most recently, Rev. LeeJohnson took his message of hope and restoration to the international community in Nigeria, speaking for a series of
Family and Youth Conferences throughout the country.
Amongst his many accomplishments, Rev. Lee-Johnson has created a curriculum for the Ten Step Rites of Passage
Program, which consists of more than 500 pages of interactive, life-changing workshops for youth and families at risk.
The Ten Step Rites of Passage curriculum has been recognized by professionals nationally and internationally, as the
most comprehensive curriculum targeting at-risk youth and families. Additionally, Rev. Lee-Johnson has co-authored a
curriculum for Healthy African American Couples, and a curriculum for inmates and parolees called On Your
Mark/Keeping the Faith.
Rev. Lee-Johnson was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He is a graduate of Dorsey High School and completed
his undergraduate studies at Morehouse College with a B.A. in sociology. Rev. Lee-Johnson graduated Cum Laude,
President of the Morehouse Sociological Association, and was inducted into the National Sociological Honor’s Society,
Alpha Kappa Delta. In 1997, Rev.. Lee-Johnson attended a 3 week study in Egypt, and upon his return received his
license to preach in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In June 2001, Rev.. Lee-Johnson received his Masters in
Social Welfare from UCLA. During his tenure at UCLA, he was voted Social Work Student of the Year. Rev. Lee-Johnson
completed more than 5 years of study in theology in the AME denomination, and received his ordination as Itinerant
Elder in the AME Church in October 2003. Rev. Lee-Johnson has been a member and served as an associate minister at
HM Turner AME Church in Culver City, CA over the last 10 years. On February 17, 2008, Rev. Lee-Johnson was appointed
Pastor of Corona Community AME Church, and in just one year, has nearly doubled the membership of the church, led
the church into a new building, and expanded the ministries of the church in the Corona area.
Bowen Chung, M.D.
Dr Chung is an Assistant Professor in Residence in the Department of Psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine
at UCLA and an Adjunct Scientist at the RAND Corporation. Dr. Chung is currently an attending child and adolescent
psychiatrist at Harbor - UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, CA. He received his M.D. at the Mount Sinai School of
Medicine and his M.S.H.S. at the UCLA School of Public Health.
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Dr Calvin J. Hobel, is an obstetrician- gynecologist at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cedars-Sinai
Medical Center, where he holds the Helping Hand of Los Angeles-Miriam Jacobs Chair in Maternal-Fetal Medicine. He is
also Dr. Hobel has three National Institutes of Health research grants to investigate the role of maternal stress on
pregnancy outcome. His primary research interest is in the area of pre-term birth and intrauterine growth restriction.
Ms Anna Lucas-Wright
Anna Lucas-Wright, better known as Aziza has over 30 years of experience providing exceptional administrative and
executive functions to Social Service agencies in South Los Angeles, including training, program design, implementation,
oversight, and evaluation. As an Administrator and Educator, Aziza , in the capacity of Community Engagement
Specialist for NIH-funded Community Partners In Care Project, conducted presentations in the areas of Cultural
Competence, Personal Efficacy ( a training aimed at developing leadership and quality assurance), Provider Self-Care,
and Community Safety. Aziza has provided training and staff development to projects and agencies in Los Angeles for
over 25 years.
Further, as an engagement specialist, Aziza has provided guidance and brokered entre for USC’s Community Immersion
project within the School of Social Work. Aziza currently provides academic/community liaison services to the Clinical
and Translational Science Institute at both RAND and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. Aziza is the
current Project Manager for the National Library of Medicine’s Resource Project, a collaborative partnership between
CDU, LA BioMed Harbor/UCLA, UCLA, Healthy African American Families, and Queens Care.
Because of the breadth of her work in the most marginalized and underserved communities in Los Angeles County, Aziza
was the recipient of the “First Ladies of Service” Award by LA Focus On the Word, September 25, 2010. Aziza served as
Director of the Youth and Family Services Division at People Coordinated Services of Southern California, Inc., Los
Angeles, California from 2004-2009. In that capacity, she provided oversight and leadership to five teams of
professionals and subcontractors delivering a comprehensive array of services to at-risk youth and families.
Aziza sits on numerous Boards and Committees, including the Research Centers in Minority Institutions Translational
Research Network (RTRN)’s External Advisory Committee She currently holds a seat on the Advisory Council of the
Center for Health Improvement for Minority Edlers (RCMR CHIME)RCMR , and L.A. Community Academic Partnership for
Research in Aging (LA CAPRA) Center, to name a few. Aziza holds a Masters of Education in Child Development from
Loyola Marymount University in Westchester, California.
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Fatherless Children
Parents play an integral role in the development of their children either directly or indirectly. In recognition of the
important roles played by parents in the lives of their children, we honor and celebrate mothers in the month of May on
Mother’s Day and fathers in the month of June on Father’s Day. This year, Mother’s Day was held on Sunday, May 8,
2011 and Father’s Day is Sunday, June 19, 2011.
Each year, for the past twenty-nine (29) years, in the United States, on the third Sunday in the month of June, we honor
and celebrate the contributions that fathers make in the lives of their children. Dr. Sigmund Freud is reported to have
said that, he could not think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.
For a growing number of American children, they have not known the love, protection, and guidance of a father. Social
science research has shown the devastating impact of fatherless homes on the lives children. Data indicates that
children in fatherless homes experience more major challenges in life than those who grow up with a father at home.
The following statistics on children in fatherless homes are alarming and should give any father pause when thinking
about his children.
“Incarceration Rates. “Young men who grow up in homes without fathers are
twice as likely to end up in jail as those who come from traditional two-parent families…those boys whose fathers were
absent from the household had double the odds of being incarcerated — even when other factors such as race, income,
parent education and urban residence were held constant.” (Cynthia Harper of the University of Pennsylvania and Sara
S. Mc Lanahan of Princeton University cited in “Father Absence and Youth Incarceration.” Journal ofResearch on
Adolescence 14 (September 2004): 369-397.)
Suicide. 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of the
Census)
Behavioral Disorders. 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders
come from fatherless homes (United States Center for Disease Control)
High School Dropouts. 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes (National Principals Association
Report on the State of High Schools.)
Educational Attainment. Kids living in single-parent homes or in step-families report lower educational expectations on
the part of their parents, less parental monitoring of school work, and less overall social supervision than children from
intact families. (N.M. Astore and S. Mc Lanahan, American Sociological Review, No. 56 (1991)
Juvenile Detention Rates. 70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes (U.S. Dept. of
Justice, Special Report, Sept 1988)
Confused Identities. Boys who grow up in father-absent homes are more likely than those in father-present homes to
have trouble establishing appropriate sex roles and gender identity.(P.L. Adams, J.R. Milner, and N.A. Schrepf, Fatherless
Children, New York, Wiley Press, 1984).
Aggression. In a longitudinal study of 1,197 fourth-grade students, researchers observed
“greater levels of aggression in boys from mother-only households than from boys in mother-father households.” (N.
Vaden-Kierman, N. Ialongo, J. Pearson, and S. Kellam, “Household Family Structure and Children’s Aggressive Behavior: A
Longitudinal Study of Urban Elementary School Children,” Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 23, no. 5 (1995).
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Achievement. Children from low-income, two-parent families outperform students from high-income, single-parent
homes. Almost twice as many high achievers come from two-parent homes as one-parent homes. (One-Parent Families
and Their Children, Charles F. Kettering Foundation, 1990).
Delinquency. Only 13 percent of juvenile delinquents come from families in which the biological mother and father are
married to each other. By contrast, 33 percent have parents who are either divorced or separated and 44 percent have
parents who were never married. (Wisconsin Dept. of Health and Social Services, April 1994).
Criminal Activity. The likelihood that a young male will engage in criminal activity doubles if he is raised without a father
and triples if he lives in a neighborhood with a high concentration of single-parent families. Source: A. Anne Hill, June
O’Neill, Underclass Behaviors in the United States, CUNY, Baruch College. 1993”[i]
If you want to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and youth in homes where the fathers are absent,
you can support the very necessary work of nonprofit organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and/or Boys and
Girls Club. Big Brothers Big Sisters has a 100 year history of providing quality youth mentoring services that have proven
to have a measurable impact in the lives of: the youth served their families and their community. Boys and Girls Club’s
mission is to “…enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive,
caring, responsible citizens.” Every day, these agencies are changing the perspectives of children and enabling them to
see the world around them in a more positive light. With that newfound point of view, they can see their potential more
clearly and dream bigger about their future. Get involved in a child’s life.
Sources: Boys and Girls Club’s website. ‘Big Brothers Big Sisters’ website. Indystar.com. “Father’s absence takes heavy
toll on children”, Editorial, June 18, 2011. “Statistics on Fatherless Children in America”. Wayne Parker, About.com
Guide. Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art.
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Marian Wright Edelman's Child Watch® Column:
"National and State Safety Nets Fail to Catch
Millions of Children"
Release Date: September 30, 2011
The Children’s Defense Fund has launched a new series of stories on our web site featuring children and their
parents who have fallen on very hard times. They are the real faces and fears behind our disgraceful national
child poverty statistics—16.4 million poor children living in the richest nation on earth. In 2010, over a million
more children fell into poverty, over half a million more into extreme poverty. Forty-three states saw increases
in poverty for children under six, the most critical years for brain development. Extreme poverty, defined as an
annual income of less than half the poverty level, means less than $30 a day for a family of four. Forty-one
states saw an increase in extreme child poverty in 2010.
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Julia Cass traveled to Michigan for the Children’s Defense Fund to meet
families with children our national and safety nets had failed to catch. One of the families she met was the
McKees—and as she noted, “Shoes tell the story of the McKee family’s descent into poverty.
Shoes tell the story of the McKee family’s descent into poverty. Skyler, 10, confides about a bigger problem. “Sometimes we don’t
have food and we just don’t eat.”
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The shoes belonging to Skyler, 10, and Zachery, 12, are falling apart. Their sister, Jordan, 14, wears the varsity
coach’s shoes when she plays on her school’s volleyball team. Less visible is hunger. The children and their
parents, Tonya and Ed McKee, of Dowagiac, Michigan, sometimes went without food this summer when Ed’s
unemployment insurance ran out and the family was not yet receiving food stamps. Skyler told Cass he gave the
birthday money he got at church to his mom for groceries, “and I told her she didn’t have to pay me back.”
Skyler confided that sometimes his stomach has growled. “It’s hard, not easy like it was before where we had
money and could do stuff. Now we don’t go anywhere… Sometimes we don’t have food and we just don’t eat.”
Cass reported, “Cass County in southwestern Michigan, where Dowagiac is located, is a pretty area of lakes and
farmland. Ed McKee comes from a farming family, and was working as a breeding manager at a large hog farm
when he was laid off in July 2009. Ed said ‘to save money,’ the company replaced him and several other
employees with new workers earning a lower wage. ‘There are other farms around here but they just aren’t
hiring,’ he said. ‘If they are, you better be the first to know. There’s a lot of people waiting in line to get that
job.’ Factory work? ‘They closed most of them around here. There’s a tool and dye plant that makes parts for
Ford and Chevy that closed and just opened back up, but you have to be on their call list to get hired. It’s
frustrating to walk into a place and they say they’re not hiring or they say they are hiring and you put in an
application and never hear from them.’”
Meanwhile, Tonya baked cakes in their home to supplement their income; their son Zachery is a special needs
child who didn’t speak until a few years ago, and Tonya hadn’t worked at a job since he was born. This
summer, Cass notes, everything got even worse: “Ed’s unemployment insurance ended in May, and there was a
month and a half gap before the Mc Kees began receiving food stamps. Their only income was the monthly
Social Security disability check for Zachery. ‘Ed and I went hungry some nights so we could feed the kids,’
Tonya said. ‘A lady here in town has brought us food several times and went shopping for us several times. And
our parents helped when they could. Otherwise, we didn’t know where the next meal would come from. One of
my friends brought over some cereal and milk one day and the boys said, “Wow! We get cereal!”’
The McKee children are three of the new faces of child poverty in America. But as families like the Mc Kees
know, poverty hits children of all colors, all ages, and in all states. Children of color are disproportionately
poor. Over one in four Black children were poor in 41 states and the nation’s capital, and over one in four
Hispanic children were poor in 43 states. In many states, the news was even worse for the youngest children: 40
percent or more of Black newborns to kindergartners were poor in 30 states and the nation’s capital, including
15 states where half were poor, and 40 percent or more of Hispanic newborns to kindergartners were poor in 14
states.
Is this the best America can do? Is this the reflection of our values as a nation? These child poverty statistics are
morally and economically indefensible. The toxic cocktail of poverty, family joblessness and stress, food
insecurity, lost homes, and growing hopelessness are a national human disaster requiring the most urgent
response from our political and business leaders in every party and place. Children deserve more than
intransigent political grandstanding. They need shoes to protect exposed toes from the cold and food to soothe
their growling stomachs. Shame on those who seek to rip out more threads from our rich nation’s tattered safety
net while protecting tax cuts for millionaires. Skyler, Zachery, and Jordan McKee and the millions of children
like them deserve more from our country.
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Dedication
To the many individuals and organizations that worked together
to make this conference happen and show the strength of
communities working toward a common goal.
We dedicate this Community Conference to the
Los Angeles Communities that make this a great city.
“The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is
one of the fundamental rights of every human being without
distinction of race, religion, political belief,
economic or social condition.”
Charles R. Drew, MD (1948)
Pioneering in
Health and Education
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