During Black History Month this year, we wrote about the Race Equity for Fatherhood, Relationship, and Marriage Programs (REFRAME) project and its approach to elevating and honoring Black wisdom, beauty, and joy as it aims to explore how Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood grant recipients can provide more equitable services to Black fathers, families, couples, and youth. In our post, we shared the inspiring words of REFRAME’s Project Director, Dr. Bright Sarfo, celebrating Black excellence and hope. Sadly, Bright passed away in April. His loss is devasting for all of us who knew or worked with him, as well as for the fields of fatherhood, equity, and family strengthening. This Father’s Day, we celebrate and honor Bright’s contributions as a researcher, team member, father, and man.
Many have debated whether providing "Responsible Fatherhood” services implies that those recruited and served by these programs are not currently responsible and need encouragement and instructions on how to become so. Some have further debated that name reveals implicit bias toward a particular group of fathers, specifically men of color. In addition to his incomparable work in the fatherhood field, Bright embodied what it means to truly be a responsible father and proud Black man, challenging and disproving the pervasive biases and assumptions that persist in our society. Bright exemplified his name and the paradoxes it includes as a melanated man who was full of joy and cheer.
Bright’s own walk in Black excellence was his act of resistance. He didn’t try to fit in as a Black researcher and wasn’t content to assimilate into the status-quo. Rather he carved out opportunities to uplift Black communities, families, and voices. He brought his own experiences and joys as a Black man and father as he worked to identify and remove barriers for the communities he worked with. His love for his family and his community shone through in all of his work. He worked and spoke with intention, compassion, and empathy, never wavering in his commitment to show that fathers of color are responsible, caring, and nurturing, even if they don’t always conform to standards set forth by others. He continually pushed us to question our assumptions and approaches and held us all to a high standard of rigor and excellence, reminding us of our obligation to center the communities we serve and that they deserve to be seen as strong and worthy rather than in need of fixing. He has left an immeasurable and lasting impact on not only the specific projects he worked on and the people he worked with, but also the way we show up every day to do our work.
In addition to his pivotal role on the REFRAME project, Bright made significant contributions to several OPRE projects, including the Testing Identified Elements for Success in Fatherhood Program project, the Building Bridges and Bonds (B3) Evaluation, Strengthening the Implementation of Responsible Fatherhood Programs, The Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse, and the National and Tribal Evaluation of the 2nd Generation of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (Tribal HPOG2.0 Evaluation). He brought leadership, expertise, and vision, coupled with a passion to improve the lives of children and families. Bright will be missed but we are comforted knowing that his influence will continue to guide us and his example of passion, commitment, and joy will inspire us for years to come.