Quality. Independence. Impact.

Home | Contact Us | Media Resources

Friday November 27, 2009

Welcome   |   Register   |   Log in

Past Event

An Economic Studies and Center on Children and Families Event

Marriage and the African-American Community

Children & Families, Washington DC


Event Summary

Over the past 50 years, U.S. marriage rates have fallen steadily, particularly for African-Americans. To examine the impact of the decline in marriage on the growth and development of African-American children, the Center on Children and Families hosted a policy discussion on November 28 to examine a new report by the Institute for American Values. That report, The Consequences of Marriage for African-Americans, examined the effects of the plummeting marriage rate on African-American families.

 

Event Information

When

Tuesday, November 28, 2006
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Where

Falk Auditorium
The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Map

Contact: Brookings Office of Communications

E-mail: events@brookings.edu

Phone: 202.797.6105

The event also featured a keynote address by District of Columbia Mayor Anthony Williams, who discussed recent attempts by the D.C. government to increase marriage rates, as well as an overview of a new program the District intends to implement next year. Members of an expert panel discussed why marriage rates have fallen so dramatically among African-Americans; and whether new marriage programs now being implemented around the nation can have an impact on marriage rates or child well-being.

 

Transcript

RON HASKINS: We have planned the session with two goals in mind. The first is to examine the Consequences of Marriage Report that succinctly stated in page 8 of the report as follows, "Does marriage bring the same benefits to all groups, and in particular of course to African-Americans?" and the evidence being very strong, especially with Caucasian families, that marriage conveys very substantial advantages to both adults and children in these marriages, and the question is whether that also applies to African-American families.

Then the second question if the answer is "yes," as the report claims it is, what can be done to promote marriage. We would like to focus on the remarkable programs in the District in Columbia, in fact, I very little hesitation saying that the District of Columbia probably has more programs that were designed specifically with marriage in mind and to promote marriage and provide incentives to marriage and remove disincentives for marriage than any other city in the country, so we are going to focus on the District of Columbia.


Advanced Search | Tips

My Portfolio

My New Content

View suggested content based on items you have saved to your Portfolio.
Log in or register now