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Within the social work profession, the topic of fatherhood is often understudied and misunderstood, particularly within Black families. Cue Dr. Brianna P. Lemmons<\/a>, an assistant professor in Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work<\/a>, who’s working to address such shortcomings.<\/p>\n Lemmons came to Baylor in 2018 after teaching at California State University, Los Angeles and at Howard University, where she set the course for her career: to change the ongoing narrative surrounding Black fatherhood and create avenues for Black fathers to tell their own stories.<\/p>\n “My interest in this area of research stems from my relationship with my own father,” Lemmons explains. “As a child, I had a very positive relationship with him, but I witnessed the challenges he faced co-parenting my non-resident siblings [children he fathered prior to his marriage to Lemmons’ mother]. So often, non-resident fathers are defined by their residential status, and assumed to be uncaring and uninvolved. But I knew there was another side to this story that was yet to be told.”<\/p>\n Now, Lemmons’ work continues at Baylor. Her most recent studies focus on father-daughter relationships. Findings from Lemmons’ latest research<\/a> indicate Black female adolescents are less likely to engage in risky behaviors (i.e., fighting, unprotected sex, etc.) when they feel a sense of closeness to their fathers. Another study (currently being edited) found father closeness is also a significant predictor of pregnancy outcomes among an older sample of adult Black women.<\/p>\n “As a whole, this research has the ability to shift paradigms as it relates to non-resident Black fathers and the roles they play in cultivating the well-being of their families,” says Lemmons.<\/p>\n