Six Principles of
Requisite Parenting
What does it take to be a good Black parent?
Selfless love, Pride, Adaptability, Resourcefulness, Courage, Spirituality – (SPARCS)
Selfless love
selfless love, intense personal labour from parents. Investment in children including financial, time, educational, emotional, and practical care
Pride
affirmation that whatever the child attains is against the odds; identity fostering, and nigrescence (pride in Black identity and features), physical care of Black body and hair, psychological care of self-esteem, rejection of deficit narratives regarding Black people, promotion of positive Black image.
Adaptability
being nimble, mobility, acculturation (spatial and interpersonal), astute, and able to evolve with the situation/ circumstance/ environment.
Resourcefulness
being open to finding and using new information, opportunities, and materials to help the child develop against adversity.
Courage
ability to explain harsh reality to children of varied ages in age-appropriate ways; to take a stance. Discipline with courage and compassion. Strength to persevere for and with children in the face of damaging systemic social injury such as racism and/or poverty.
Spirituality
hope and belief for and with children, that against substantial odds, the children can grow, be okay, and/or excel. Faith, including religious faith, that innate or supernatural powers can help children overcome incredible obstacles; the notion of superhuman strength of the soul. Tapping into transcendental forces within and around children to support their uniqueness.
References
Baumrind, D. (1996). The discipline controversy revisited. Family Relations, 45(4), pp. 405–14.
Baumrind, D. (1971). Current patterns of parental authority. Developmental Psychology Monograph, 4(1, Pt. 2), 1-103.
Lammy, D. (2017). The Lammy Review: An independent review into the treatment of, and outcomes for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals in the Criminal Justice System. London: Lammy Review. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/643001/lammy-review-final-report.pdf [Accessed December 6, 2023].
Okpokiri, C. (2017). First-generation Nigerian immigrant parents and child welfare issues in Britain. University of Sussex. PhD Thesis. https://hdl.handle.net/10779/uos.23448428.v1
Okpokiri, C. (2021). Parenting in fear: child welfare micro strategies of Nigerian parents in Britain. British Journal of Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcaa205
Okpokiri, C. (2024). An evaluation of requisite parenting – an optimal Black parenting style. Barnardo’s Children’s Charity. Research report.