Kenosha County Prevention Services Network Newsletter
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February 2009 Kenosha County Prevention Services Network (PSN) Building Community Relationships that Strengthen Families Prevention Services Network is a community wide collaboration In this issue: dedicated to strengthening families, and helping them become Black History Month resilient to child abuse and neglect. This newsletter is designed Valentines Day to reach out to families and providers with current research and PSN has moved! information about community resources that support prevention. February: A Month to Celebrate Black History & Love “Black History Month began as ‘Negro History Week’ “according to the History Channel’s website ( www.history.com ). Carter G. Woodson, an African American historian created the holiday in 1926. It first became a month long celebration in 1976. February was chosen because both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass celebrate their birthday’s in this month. On February 12, 2009, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will celebrate its 100 th anniversary. Read a short history of this incredible organization. The date of February 12 th was chosen, because it is also the centennial anniversary of the birth of Lincoln. Look for other facts related to Black History on the monthly calendar at the end of this newsletter. Besides being Black History Month, we celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14 th . This day, with origins that date back to Roman times, brightens up the drab winter landscape with dreams of love and the exchange of cards. It is estimated that 10 million e-mail valentines will be sent and one billion will be mailed. (www.ask.com). Learn a little bit about the history of this holiday possibly started by a priest who lived in the third century in Rome. Part of this month’s newsletter is dedicated to relationships, with an emphasis on building strong relationships, renewing the ones that already exist, and building intimacy within your family unit. A Child’s Place Child Care Center, (located at the Kenosha County Human Services Building), Celebrates Black History Month on Tuesday, February 10 th from 10:00 to 10:30. Bring your talents, dance, poetry, songs and music. Call Patricia Woods at 697-4754 for details. The Founding of the NAACP Mary White Ovington wrote a letter in 1914 to describe her work as the self-described first member of the NAACP. The following information is taken from her letter and can be found on the NAACP website at www.naacp.org Please note some language is taken directly from the letter. In the summer of 1908 there was a large race riot in Springfield, Illinois, the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. People described as the town’s “best citizens” contributed to the violence that lasted for two days, and during which scores of Blacks were killed, wounded and driven from the city. Articles in newspapers and magazines across the country decried the violence, and called out for action stating, “the spirit of the abolitionists must be revived.” In early 1909, in New York City, Mr. William English Walling, an author of one of the critical articles, Mary White Ovington, a tenant in a New York Negro tenement apartment, and a Dr. Henry Moskowitz, an expert on the living conditions of immigrants, met in a tiny apartment and birthed the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. There are no minutes of the first meeting. Mr. Walling’s wife had spent several years in a Russian prison because she supported the revolutionist movement, and he believed that the Blacks were treated with greater inhumanity in the United States than the Jewish prisoners in Russia. Ms. Ovington had studied the treatment of Blacks in the north including their lack of employment opportunities. Dr. Moskowitz was and advocate for human rights across races and nationalities. This tiny group decided to launch their campaign on Lincoln’s birthday, February 12 th , to seek a “large and powerful body of citizens” to attend a national conference on what they called the “Negro question.” With the aid of the president of the New York Evening Post Company, they published a letter that was widely distributed as a call to action. It begins with the following statement: “The celebration of the Centennial of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, widespread and grateful as it may be, will fail to justify itself if it takes not note of and makes no recognition of the colored men and women for whom the great Emancipator labored to assure freedom. Besides a day of rejoicing, Lincoln’s birthday in 1909 should be one of taking stock of the nation’s progress since 1865.” Now, 100 years later, with Lincoln’s bicentennial birthday upon us, Barack Obama is president of the United States. These early pioneers of equal rights would be pleased. You can read the rest of the call to action letter first published in 1909 at the NAACP website: www.naacp.org Happy Valentine’s Day The history of Valentine’s Day is a mystery. What we do know is that February has long been a month dedicated to love and romance. The celebration of the holiday has both Roman and Christian roots. The Catholic Church has at least three St. Valentine’s or St. Valentinus’ that were all martyred. (www.history.com ) One story states that St. Valentine was a priest during the third century in Rome. Emperor Claudius decided that single men made better soldiers and outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine thought this practice to be cruel and unjust, and performed secret marriages. When Emperor Claudius discovered Valentine’s actions, he had him killed. Other stories suggest St. Valentine helped Christians escape Roman prisons, and probably the most popular legend states that Valentine sent the first ‘valentine’ message while in captivity himself to his jailor’s daughter, and signed it ‘from your valentine’, an expression still used today. Some believe we celebrate this holiday in February to commemorate Valentine’s death believed to have occurred around 270 AD. Others believe that it may be held in February to “christian-ize” the pagan holiday of Lupercalia. February marked the beginning of spring for the Roman and was a time of ritual purification. No matter how the tradition started, it is certainly one that is easily celebrated. Children enjoy making Valentines, and with some construction paper, glue, paper doilies and glitter, they can make some great creations. Encourage them to write a poem. Rhyming is a good early learning skill. Take time yourself to send a valentine to someone who may not be expecting to receive one. Winters in the Midwest are long, and the elderly or disabled may experience long days of being shut in because of poor weather. Receiving a valentine would certainly brighten up a drab day. If you are sending valentine’s to school with your child, make sure there are enough for the entire class. If you are not sure, ask the teacher or send extras. Let your child know that although she may have very special friends, that it is kind to give a valentine to everyone. Be prepared to talk to your children if he feels slighted, or did not receive a card from someone he likes. Avoid saying anything mean about the other children, but instead acknowledge that your child feels sad, and encourage him to concentrate on the valentines that he did receive. Building a Healthy Relationship Right from the Start If February is a month to celebrate love, then it is also a month to celebrate relationships. Successful long term relationships require effort and commitment by both partners involved. Building healthy patterns in the beginning helps get through the harder times to come. Begin with a foundation based on appreciation and respect. Happy couples look for opportunities to say ‘thank you’ for the considerate things and not focus on their partner’s mistakes. Explore what interests you both, so you can find things that you enjoy to do together. Maybe you can find something new that you have never tried before. Establish a pattern of apologizing when you make a mistake that results in hurt feelings. Taking responsibility for your own actions and words builds trust. Let one another know what your needs are. Your partner may not be able to meet all your needs. This is normal. Some needs can only be satisfied outside the relationship. Maybe he loves to read and you do not. Understanding that he needs time alone will avoid hurt feelings. Try to see things from another perspective. You may disagree on things, but a strong relationship requires that you at least appreciate and accept your differences. Remember, the foundation of your relationship is made up of appreciation and respect. WE’RE SO EXCITED! Prevention Services Network (PSN) staff has relocated to a new area within the Human Services Building at 8600 Sheridan Road. We are now in the North East section of the building across from the child care center. We are in the process of equipping the area to become the PSN Family Resource Center. We have materials to catalogue and displays and furniture yet to be assembled, but we are too excited to keep our plans to ourselves. You are cordially invited to drop in and check out our new home on Monday, February 16 th from 9:00 to 11:00. Meet the PSN staff, enjoy some refreshments and see our progress thus far. To view previous issues of the Prevention Services Network Newsletter, log on to the Kenosha County PSN webpage at http://www.co.kenosha.wi.us/dhs/Divisions/CFS/Newsletter/index.php LOVE GROWS at HOME A celebration of what we love about each other should begin in the home with our children and families.