This Week's Facts:

-FTC Offers Valuable DADvice for Savvy Consumers

-Website Helps Fathers be Active in Children's Lives

-Fatherhood Clearinghouse Offers Tips on Being a Great Dad

-Commission Celebrates African- American Male Role Models

-Holiday Commemorates End of Slavery in America

Fast Facts for Dad

How many fathers are there in the United States? 70.1 million

How many stay-at-home Dads were there in 2011? 176,000

How many men’s clothing stores are there in the United States? 7,708

How many hardware stores are there in the United States? 15,734

For more national stats on fathers, visit the U.S. Census Bureau’s Facts For Features website.

Holiday Commemorates
End of Slavery in America

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. It was June 19^th 1865 that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. The celebration of June 19^th was called "Juneteenth" and grew with more participation from descendants. The Juneteenth celebration was a time for reassuring each other, for praying, and for gathering remaining family members. The celebration continued to be highly revered in Texas decades later, with many former slaves and descendants making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston on this date. Most Juneteenth celebrations include food, entertainment, and music. At its peak, Juneteenth celebrations involved over 20,000 African Americans. Today, attendance is far less. Many states celebrate Juneteenth in a variety of ways. In 2010, Indiana became the 34^th State to recognize the holiday with the passage of House Concurrent Resolution 38. This year, the Indiana State Museum is hosting its first Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 23, 2012 10a.m.-2:00p.m.   The event is free and open to the public. Come celebrate a day full of entertainment, information, resources, and fun! For more information about Juneteenth and how other states celebrate, visit the Juneteenth registry website.  

Friday Facts Editorial Team:

Katharine Springer
State Data Center Coordinator

Elisabeth Hedges
Federal Documents Librarian
&
Kim Brown-Harden
State Documents Coordinator

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Fathers are known for their advice, whether it be wise or somewhat goofy. The Federal Trade Commission has compiled DADvice: stuff dads really say, a list of all the sayings we heard growing up, and applied it to real-world consumer protection. Many of us heard, “I had to walk to school. Barefoot. In the snow. Both ways!” throughout our childhoods. While this may have been Dad’s way of saying “get over it,” it was meant to express the importance of perseverance and hard work - and that most things worth having, like an education, don’t necessarily come easily. This also applies to financial security. The FTC recommends MoneyMatters to help citizens follow Dad’s words of wisdom  and make sure that they are financially secure. There’s even more advice for presenting yourself in public and online (“You’re going out like that?”) and keeping your credit record clean (“That’ll go on your permanent record!”). This webpage is a fun way to protect yourself against consumer fraud while celebrating fathers.

Website Helps Fathers be Active in Children's Lives  

The Indiana Department of Child Services has a website to encourage fathers’ active involvement with their children. The Indiana Fathers and Families website contains information and resources for fathers and how their involvement affects not only their children, but also their communities. Traditionally, social services and research have focused primarily on mothers and children and have minimized or excluded the role of the father. In Indiana, a single mother leads 19% of households with children. In some Indiana counties such as Lake or Marion, the rate is 28% or greater. Some research studies reveal that children benefit cognitively from having two involved parents rather than only one and that children’s sex-role development is enhanced by the presence of the same-sex parent. In 2000, the Indiana Fathers and Families initiative was created to maximize and make available grant programs and resources to encourage programs for dads. Some of the primary goals of the Fathers and Families program include: increase fathers’ involvement with their children; improve fathers’ parenting skills; improve co-parenting relationships; and many others. More resources and research about fathers can found on fathers.com, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Promoting Responsible Fatherhood. Fathers: It’s important to remember that you’re the first role model for your son or daughter. Happy Father’s Day!

Fatherhood Clearinghouse Offers Tips on Being a Great Dad

Fatherlessness is a growing concern in the United States. In order to help combat this, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has created the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC). The NRFC is a great source of tips, anecdotes, and encouragement for fathers and families everywhere. Direct patrons to the Tips and Activities tab under “For Dads” to learn how to help a child with homework. Your patrons can also find a fatherhood mentor, or if you feel that you could make a difference to someone else, become a mentor yourself. The website also contains DadTalk, a blog that contains, interviews, information about new initiatives, and more. Those looking for specific resources on fatherhood, including information for teenage fathers, single fathers, and fathers in the military, can also search the online library. Finally, be sure to sign the Fatherhood Pledge to receive updates from fatherhood leaders and tips on mentoring.

Commission Celebrates African-American Male Role Models

This month’s State Agency Spotlight pays homage to all fathers - those who are biological and those who act as father figures. The Indiana Commission on the Social Status of Black Males was established in 1993 by Indiana law: P.L. 143-1993 Sec. 1.   IC 12-13-12-2.

The mission of the Indiana Commission on the Social Status of Black Males is to study the social conditions of the state's African American male population; to develop strategies to remedy or assist in remedying serious adversities; and to make recommendations to for improvements in the areas of criminal justice, education, employment, health, and social factors. The Commission serves policymakers and public interest groups as well as the media, community organizations, and members of the general public. It has been in partnership with elected officials, community leaders, policy makers and the faith based community to serve African American males and assist in resolve issues in the five focus areas. The Commission is proud of the fact that there are nine local Commissions addressing concerns of African American males across the state in the cities of Anderson, Bloomington, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Gary, Indianapolis, Jeffersonville, Michigan City, and Muncie.  

One of the latest programs of the Commission is the Indiana Dads Expo. The Commission’s role in the 2012 Expo is as a sponsor and statewide outreach to African American males to the expo event.  Through the Commission’s distribution list, contacts, and local commissions, African American males will be informed about the Dads Expo and encouraged to attend. The Expo will be held on Saturday, June 16, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Martin University.

MEN: Check out these top tips for a healthy life courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services