Jarrell Tarpley, a family man, husband to Cleo Spann Tarpley and father to Deven Tarpley. He is also the only son of Sister Tarpley and he knows that he is blessed.
By Sis. Shirley Tarpley, NDG Religion Editor
“It’s in the blood”, was a favorite saying of my oldest sibling Eloyd Demus Avery, when a family member looked like someone in the family or acted like someone in the family.
You may not have parents alive any more or even some sibling, but I can say that you have some family somewhere. You may even have a family reunion, an event familiar to many in the Black community.
Since we all have a family–it’s time to celebrate that fact. July is National Black Family Month, a time for people of the Black community to make a conscious effort to spend time with family members.
We need to strengthen and encourage them and simply enjoying the company of our loved ones. Families have varied traditions when it comes to holding their reunions: “We usually have an informal meet and greet Friday, and then a more formal dinner in a banquet hall on Saturday,” said an Atlanta attorney with family roots in Virginia.
She said that her family began holding reunions “because they realized that people were only getting together for funerals. Most families say this and don’t like this idea; therefore some started holding reunions.
An insurance agent in Philadelphia shared this similar sentiment, “The essence of the family reunion is to bring all the generations together in one place for a particular weekend to bond in festivities with loved ones,” he said.
No matter how your family holds its reunion or even if you don’t attend a reunion, remember to take some time out this month to really appreciate your loved ones. Spend some time with immediate and extended family. You now have a reason, it’s National Black Family Month.
All of this came to mind because I recently lost one of my nieces to cancer. As we gathered at her home after the service, I thought about the many people that miss going to a family reunion or a family gathering that is not a funeral.
Since July is National Black Family Month it is a month that is dedicated to the enrichment of Black families through, education, health and self improvement.
Founded in New York City by Shaun McLaughlin, she wanted the time that families get together for family reunions to be more than t-shirts and eating good food. The spirit was for family get-togethers to also include investments in improving the health of our bodies and encourage more investment in our children. My late cousin Sylvia Livingston Terry was all about this at our Demus Family Reunions.
Personally, I believe you can use this time as a time for quiet reflection about how things stand in your own family and what you can do to make improvements.
Since God has said that men are the head of the family, let’s take a moment to celebrate the role of Black men in their families and in society at large.
Let’s reveal Black men to America. Let’s upend the stereotypes and honor what is best about Black men who are raising children in our communities and our country.
Tell somebody that according to the U.S. Army, Black men serve this country in uniform at a higher rate than all other men. By that measure, Black men are the most patriotic men in America.
Also, according to the U.S. Census, the rate of business creation by Black males have been growing at nearly twice the national average for more than a decade. By that measure, Black men are among the most enterprising men in America.
And, according to the Cultures of Giving Report by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Black households continue to give to charity at a higher rate than all other households. By extrapolation, Black men may be among the most generous men in America.
Let’s celebrate our Black families, especially our Black men, not only in July but every month of the year.
