Raising Him Alone (RHA) is dedicated to researching, designing, and implementing a campaign to support the social well being of single mothers raising boys. Through a series of intense community forums, workshops and support group initiatives, RHA seeks to increase access to resources in the areas of Health & Well Being , Educational Support & Advocacy, as well as Financial Literacy.
The campaign focuses on four areas identified as key benchmarks in addressing positive outcomes for single mothers and their sons. The campaign’s approach to provide greater advocacy and supporting parents gaining access to community based services. The following are the four key campaign areas:
Health & Well Being (Mental Health)
- Black males have the worst health status of any other race-sex group.
- Black males have the second lowest life expectancy at birth second only to Native American men.
- Black males have the highest death rate from all causes and the highest death rates from cancer, cardiovascular disease & homicides.
- Black male have the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections.
Educational Support & Advocacy
- Black males account for 8.62% of total enrollment in the nation’s elementary and secondary schools, but account for 21.69% of total expulsions.
- Forty-two percent of all Black boys have failed an entire grade at least once.
- The national average high school graduation rate for Black boys is 47%.
Financial Literacy (African American Community)
- Nearly six of 10 children living with only their mother were near (or below) the poverty line.
- Of the 19 million children of single parents, two thirds live in rented homes.
Reconnecting Fathers & Sons
Children From Fatherless Homes More Likely To:
- Commit Suicide (5 Times)
- Have behavioral disorder (20 Times)
- Drop out of school (9 Times)
- Abuse drugs (10 Times)
- Go to prison (20Times)
The Kick Off features workshops, resource fair and an intimate panel discussion featuring several celebrity mothers who have raised boys become men. The mothers include the following: Dr. Mahalia Hines (mother of rapper Common), Dr. Brenda Greene (mother of rapper and activist Talib Kweli) and Sheron Smith (mother of Grammy nominated actor and rapper Mos Def).
