Featured Scholars : Lorraine Blackman

Associate Professor, IU School of Social Work
lblackman@iupui.edu

Lorraine Blackman is concerned about family life issues affecting our communities. She studies the importance of teaching family leaders to socialize children for healthy, productive adult lives. Children born to parents in uncommitted, unstable relationships often suffer negative physical, mental, and economic health. Statistics show that about 80% of African American babies are born to unwed mothers. Indiana's African American young people fare worse than Indiana youth overall in 18 areas of general well being such as graduation rates and poverty levels.

Dr. Blackman, conducting evidence-based research, has authored two family life education curricula: The African American Marriage Enrichment Program: How to Make Your Good Thing Better and The African American Parent Training Program: Pulling Together to Rear Our Children – They Grow Up Only Once. Instructors in nearly 20 states are using the curricula to teach adult individuals and couples how to create and sustain the stable, high quality families of their dreams. Additionally, consulting with government and organizational leaders, she seeks to build professional capacity to provide ethnic and gender sensitive family life education in Indiana.

Professor Blackman's translation of research into curricula to address family life issues is another excellent example of how IUPUI's faculty members are TRANSLATING their RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE.