IFAMM, Inc. & OES Supreme Secretary of Education

Good Morning Family,

I wanted to take this opportunity to share BFF that is shared throughout my organization each Friday. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I wish you all a Very Prosperous New Year!

Black Facts Friday
Celebrating Black History 365 days of the year!

The Strength of Family


As the year draws to a close, it is customary that we do “a year in review”. We give pause to our winnings and defeats, our ups and our downs, and we try to assess a grade for the year. We then try to apply our determination to a list of new year’s resolutions.

The past almost two years, at the hands of the pandemic, has taken a toll on everything! What the pandemic began to destroy in 2020, it demolished in 2021. Jobs were lost and wages were reduced. Family, friends and loved ones were caught in the snare of the virus, some never to escape. Bottom line, 2021 was hard. And, 2022 may look very similar, causing us to continue to exist in the “new norm”.

If we think about it, “new norms” are not “new” for Black people. With resilience, Black people have managed and conquered decades and even centuries of “new norms”, holding to that which is true, solid, and familiar – their strengths. Of the many strengths relied upon, the main one uplifts and centers - family.

Family is the powerbase of us all. We all are stronger when we have the support base of a family that will stand with us through hardships. The strength of the family heightened after slavery was abolished when Black families were torn apart, sold to different owners and taken to various geographic areas. Instead of bemoaning their fate, many vowed to find their lost loved ones. The shared treachery of these early families created exceptionally strong emotional bonds that gave them the physical and psychological fortitude to carry on. This separation from blood relatives also fostered the practice of designating friends and loved ones as aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces, a custom rooted in Africa.

When slavery ended and a sense of newfound independence flowed through the northern states, a sense of pride and respect followed. Multitudes of newly-free Blacks bought land, established businesses and started rebuilding traditional family structures. The tenacity and persistence needed to fight for their rights over the next century instilled family values that reflect incredible strength and courage.

Decades of brokenness lead to a determined resurgence to re-establish a strong family presence. Multiple generations frequently lived in the same household and children learned to respect and care for their elders. Gender roles were blurred as the families worked together to integrate work schedules with childcare and housekeeping. Family ties were strengthened by heavy reliance on parents, children, grandparents and in-laws to provide emotional, financial and psychological support to each other during both good times and bad.

As with most societal trends, family values in all cultures are in constant motion. The family is always evolving, the meaning of it and the structure. Regardless of the changes, one thing remains a constant – the strength of family can’t be denied.

Welcome! As we build membership on our private Education Department page, look forward to interacting with the Supreme Secretary of Education and invited guest.
We truly believe "Working Together, Works Best"