February Message from Carol Jackson, Executive Director
Posted February 20, 2025
February is known as Love Month and Black History Month. When I began to ponder this newsletter, I needed to remember that I desire to focus on love. Love comes in many forms. It is not just romantic; it can be found in the smallest moments and the most unexpected places. Recently, when browsing Facebook, I saw pictures of a young brother and his little sister embracing—with the caption written by Mom, “Sibling Love.”
One example of love is a little girl, Emma, flying with her family from Denver, Colorado, to Memphis, Tennessee. While everyone else clutched their seats in fear during this particularly turbulent flight, she laughed and giggled the whole way through. She sat between her father and mother, so the turbulence appeared to be a great amusement park ride where everyone was having a great time. She did not realize the danger her parents felt as the plane swayed back and forth. Emma knew she was loved and cared for and that her daddy would never harm her. This child’s innate knowledge of her parents’ love made the turbulent journey a joyful adventure.
And then, there was the recent track and field event accident where a young athlete’s errant hammer throw tragically hit and killed a spectator. In the moment’s chaos, everyone froze in shock, and a mother searched for her son. It was only when she saw her husband standing there, ensuring their son’s safety, that she could breathe again. Love, at this moment, wasn’t just about the child’s innocence but about the father’s instinct to shield his son from the overwhelming shock of the event.
These two moments—one filled with carefree joy and the other with protective concern—remind me of the many ways love expresses itself: through laughter, protection, and caring for one another in times of peace and crisis.
Families Matter intentionally supports families by instructing fathers on their role within the family structure. It is a known fact that children fare better when fathers are positively involved in their lives. Fathers and mothers are essential to their children’s growth, well-being, and future. Our goals are to Strengthen Families, Change Lives, and Transform Memphis. With our healthy family relationship educational initiatives, we endeavor to assist fathers in becoming their best selves to mirror the fathers depicted in the stories above.
To learn more about Families Matter and our healthy family educational initiatives, please contact me, Carol Jackson, at (901) 351-1124. You can also visit our website at www.familiesmattermemphis.org. For AFIRM (A Father’s Involvement Really Matters), please call (901) 445-0115.
Thank you!
Carol A. Jackson
Executive Director