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ACF Region 6 - Dallas

AAHMI Fact Sheet

African American Healthy Marriage Initiative

A Targeted Strategy for Working Effectively with African American Communities

What is the African American Healthy Marriage Initiative (AAHMI)?

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Healthy Marriage Initiative seeks to improve child well-being by helping those who choose marriage for themselves to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to form and sustain healthy marriages. Research demonstrates the strong correlation between family structure and a family’s social and economic well-being. Congress recognized the fact that two-parent, married families represent the ideal environment for raising children and incorporated marriage, family formation and fatherhood as key components in the welfare reform legislation, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), enacted in 1996.

The AAHMI is a component of the ACF Healthy Marriage Initiative and more specifically promotes a culturally competent strategy for fostering healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood, improving child well-being and strengthening families within the African American Community. Cultural orientation, traditions and practices form a diversity of beliefs, attitudes, interpersonal styles and behaviors. Differences in age, race, ethnicity, gender, education, religious background and socioeconomic status can influence how people and organizations view and respond to ACF’s healthy marriage activities.

Why is a focused strategy needed for the African American Community?

  • Perception that the healthy marriage initiative has not considered the unique experiences of this population
  • Clear link between healthy marriage and child well-being
  • Crisis-level statistics (e.g. rates of divorce and non-married child-bearing)
    1. 42% of African-American adults are married, compared to 61% of whites & 59% of Hispanics (2003)
    2. 12% divorce rate for African-American couples, compared to 10% for whites and 7% for Hispanics (2003)
    3. 68% of AA births are to unmarried women, compared to 29% for whites and 44% for Hispanics (2003)
    4. 62% of AA households are headed by a single parent, compared to 27% for whites and 35% for Hispanics (2003)

What does the focused strategy include? Three components:

  • Education and Communication
  • Enhancement of Partnerships
  • Identifying Resources

How has the AAHMI been implemented?

The AAHMI has reached out to external partners and stakeholders and identified broad-based national and local coalitions for the successful development and implementation of this very important strategy. Through the use of forums, high-profile endorsements, information dissemination, strengthening partnerships with major private, community, and national organizations, and increasing access to community and ACF resources, the AAHMI has helped to build the capacity in the African American community to deliver marriage education services.