African Heritage
Parenting Education & Family Support
Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative
The Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative (OPEC) supports the delivery of high-quality parenting education programs that are evidence based and culturally responsive throughout Oregon and Siskiyou County, California.
Read more about the benefits of parenting education.
African Heritage
African Heritage refers to individuals whose life experiences are grounded in African diasporic traditions, cultures, and legacies, including but not limited to, Africa, the Caribbeans, South America and the United States.
This term has been selected in collaboration with the OSU-OPEC team and community members with the aim of including and preparing for the diverse experiences within African Heritage families in our shared parenting education work.
Vision
Develop collaborative opportunities and supportive resources with partner organizations, OPEC hubs, and parenting education professionals serving African Heritage families.
Goal
Expand statewide parenting education initiatives that foster relationships, communication, and support and create culturally specific resources for organizations and parenting educators serving African Heritage families in Oregon.
Objectives
- Identify and prioritize family, OPEC hubs, parenting educators, and community needs.
- Create spaces that support relationship-building between community organizations, OPEC Hubs, and parenting educators.
- Coordinate connection opportunities, resource development, and trainings based on community needs
Evaluation
In June 2025, members of the OSU-OPEC team, in collaboration with: Maureen Quinn Lores of Oregon State University Extension; Ms. Carrie Roberson, Kara Syndor, and and Heidi Franklin from Multnomah County Health Department - REACH; and Feed The Mass and Chef Jacobsen Valentine hosted a training in A Taste of African Heritage for 20 participants representing 15 Oregon-based organizations dedicated to supporting African heritage families in both rural and urban communities. Participants emphasized several key strengths of the training: Cultural Grounding, Hands-On Practice, Practical Tools and Resources, and Community Building. Read the full evaluation report here.
OPEC supports and connections
Past and present members of OPEC's African Heritage team have supported programs, gatherings, and community engagement using the following approaches.
To learn more about future events and opportunities, subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
Nou la African Heritage Workgroup
Meetings will connect statewide stakeholders committed to working together to address and prioritize challenges impacting African Heritage parents as identified during the 2024 listening sessions. Nou la is Haitian Creole for “We are here” or “We’re here.” Nou la is an assertion that one’s presence should be recognized, and advocating for the community's needs is essential.
Ubuntu Quarterly Series
The Ubuntu series is a collaborative exchange between African Heritage staff and community members and OPEC Hubs to identify how to best support African Heritage families. Ubuntu is a Zulu term meaning “because of you I can.” The sentiment is also used throughout Africa with a larger meaning of “humanity to others”.
Shiboka Fatherhood Group
A space where fathers-specific agencies and individuals working with fathers connect and discuss how to navigate obstacles to accessing resources by creating a roadmap to help fathers navigate challenging systems. Shiboka is Zulu for “I exist for you” and is the response to Sawubona.
Sawubona Healing Circle
Sawubona Healing Circle (SHC) is an Afrocentric initiative designed to provide a safe space for individuals of African heritage to find community and restoration. Created by the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) in 2020 to address healthcare inequity and racialized stress, SHC is grounded in an Afrocentric and Black, evidence-informed approach rooted in spirituality, philosophies, and histories ( Auguste, et al., 2024). Sawubona Healing Circles include African-centered rituals and healing strategies, including ancestral invocation, call-and-response, space for dialogue, healing and mindfulness activities, group and personalized affirmations, and reflective quiet time.
Resources
A Taste of African Heritage
A Taste of African Heritage is a six-session, evidence-based cooking and nutrition education program designed to encourage more consumption of spices, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans through food traditions from the African diaspora.
Effective Black Parenting
Effective Black Parenting is a 15-session parenting skill-building program aimed to promote pride and cohesion and to help families cope with the negative effects of racism.
Families (Fathers) Reading Everyday (FRED)
Families (Fathers) Reading Everyday (FRED) is a four-session parent-child reading program whose goal is to strengthen bonds and improve literacy by encouraging a focus specifically on time spent reading together. This program was by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.
Strong African American Families
Strong African American Families is a seven-week youth and parenting program designed to build on the strengths of African American families through resiliency tools that reduce the risk of substance use, delinquency, and other unsafe behaviors. This program is available for 10–14-year-old adolescents, and 15-19-year-old teenagers.
Our workgroup has been listening closely to African Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) across the state to better understand what supports parenting education in their communities. Families are asking for parenting support that is:
- Delivered by trusted, community-connected facilitators: The “who” matters. Families respond best when the people leading parenting programs share their values, respect their experiences, and create safe, welcoming spaces.
- Culturally relevant: Many current programs miss the mark because they don’t reflect African cultural values or parenting traditions. Families want to see their identities honored—not erased—in parenting education.
- Grounded in lived realities: Economic pressure, systemic inequalities, and the sheer demands of daily life often leave families in survival mode. Programs must acknowledge these realities to truly be accessible and impactful.
Ultimately, families are not rejecting support—they are asking us to reimagine parenting education in a way that meets them where they are, honors who they are, and walks alongside them as they navigate parenting in complex systems and sifting cultural landscapes.
Ideas our Workgroup is brainstorming to help support CBO’s and On-the-Ground Facilitators include:
- Work with CBOs to identify community members interested in becoming facilitators and finding ways to support their training.
- Hold focus groups with current facilitators to identify best practices for what it means to “meet families where they are”—gathering practical insights to share with others in the field.
- Curate resource guides to provide CBO’s and facilitators with concrete strategies and tools for designing culturally responsive programs
- Host ongoing listening sessions to gather feedback for families and continuously improve parenting education programs
These actions are being discussed as a means to create supportive, culturally relevant frameworks that empower both facilitators and families, ensuring that parenting education is accessible, meaningful, and impactful.
With gratitude to OPEC's inaugural African Heritage Team
- Meilana Charles, Outreach Coordinator, OPEC
- Asia Thogmartin, Research Associate, OPEC
- Ms. MaryEtta Callier, CEO and Founder of Black and Brown Families Matter
