San Diego, CA – Many youth in this generation have the opportunity to experience a special treat. Grandparents are one of our most treasured earthly possessions, though many are bearing the weight of raising a second generation. For a multitude of reasons, grandparents have stepped into the role of primary caregiver for a second time for their grandchildren. This is a unique experience for African American families.
On Saturday, September 7, the County of San Diego is hosting a county-wide event, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren from 9 am to 2 pm at four different locations. The main site for the event is the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, 404 Euclid Ave., San Diego, where the keynote address will be delivered. Additionally, grandparents and caregivers can access this event at three regional sites including the Parkway Community Center at 373 Park Way, Chula Vista; Meridian Baptist Church, 600 S. 3rd St., El Cajon; and San Marcos Civic Center Dr., San Marcos.
The African American family unit faces a multitude of issues, and adding another dimension to this family only raises the level of issues to be faced. According to a study on African American Grandparents Raising Grandchildren done by St. Catherine University, University of St. Thomas, “A review of available literature has found that African American children in kinship care arrangements, especially those being cared for by grandparents, are more susceptible to mental health and academic deficiencies than those in other foster care arrangements (Ghuman, Weist, and Shafer, 1999).”
According to the Census Bureau, there are an estimated 2.4 million grandparents nationwide raising 4.5 million children. Of these statistics, about 36 percent are African American families; 42 percent are white, 17 percent are Hispanic and only five percent are Asian or Pacific Islander or American Indian or Alaska Native.
The report also cites the following statistics, “Minkler and Fuller-Thomson (2005) found that in the year 2000, over a half a million African American grandparents were raising their grandchildren.”
“Studies have shown that placing African American children with their relatives helps them to maintain emotional ties to their extended family, yet also points to maintained emotional ties with often dysfunctional birth parents who want to be reunified with these children (Harris & Skyles, 2008).”
To this end, it is vitally important that a variety of resources be readily available for African American grandparents. However, it is important to note that the African American family is diverse. Meaning, the African American family cannot be categorized into one type. African American grandparents are raising their grandchildren in different environments across the country. Not all African American grandparents raising their grandchildren are doing so because they come from dysfunctional families with dysfunctional parents.
Children being raised by their grandparents benefit from the close connection with family that children in other care-receiving situations may not have. For the African American family, the family unit is important to maintain, and once the bond is formed, it should never be able to be broken.
For more information on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, please visit www.211sandiego.org/grandparents. To register, call (855) 238-5978. Information from the U.S. Census Bureau was used for this article.
