Rebecca Davis
AFA Journal staff writer
March 2014 – According to Kids Count Data Center, 24.7 million children in the United States lived in single-parent homes in 2011. That’s 35% of all children in America. Of the almost 25 million children, 6.5 million belonged to black or African-American single-parent homes. So in 2011, 67% of African-American children in the U.S. lived in single-parent homes, making that the highest percentage of any race in the nation.
Twenty-five-year-old Christian Westbrook knows the situation all too well. A native of Gary, Indiana, Westbrook was raised by her single mother. However, Westbrook was blessed to have a mother who lived out a poised and modest lifestyle before her children despite their circumstances.
“She always exemplified being a lady in front of my sisters and me,” Westbrook told AFA Journal.
It made such an impact on Westbrook that she is now dedicating part of her life to helping young girls who are growing up in a society that has lost most of its values.
The cause
“I want to bring young girls, specifically in the urban community, back to the basics that promote sophistication, dignity and integrity in all facets of interaction and expression,” she said.
That’s why she founded and directs the So Sophisticated Etiquette (SSE) class in Tupelo, Mississippi, where she resides after marrying her husband Cortney, a Tupelo native.
The class is an extension of AFA’s Urban Family Communications where Westbrook works as an on-air personality and producer for AFR’s Urban Family Talk.
UFC is a multi-media communications network and outreach committed to the spiritual revitalization of urban communities.
African-American young ladies were the initial target group for the So Sophisticated Etiquette class because of the race’s high percentage of single-parent homes.
“We want to give these girls a view of clean, stable interaction that encourages positive skills,” Westbrook explained. “But now we are open to other races and cultures because this is a universal program and curriculum.”
“Young girls in today’s society have a lot of influences, and the majority of the influences are negative,” she added. “You have the media, television and friends that are not instilling wholesome images of what it means to be a lady and how to respect yourself and others around you.”
The class
In an effort to counteract negative influences, girls in the So Sophisticated Etiquette program practice basic skills such as how to introduce themselves and others, how to say please and thank you, how to make eye contact, and how to set a table correctly as well as the importance of health and fitness.
“Our purpose is to build a standard among young girls,” Westbrook said, “and to instill a self awareness and confidence from the skills learned that will stick with the young ladies for the rest of their lives. We want to end the cycle of no manners and no respect and replace it with consistent positive behavior.”
Westbrook realizes that the young girls who take her etiquette classes may never have another opportunity to be taught such skills.
“So I want to get it right the first time and make a life changing impact while I can,” she said.
The So Sophisticated Etiquette class, first offered in 2013, is four weeks long and is held in July. It is currently for ages 9-18, but Westbrook and assistant director Meeke Addison have had requests, which they are considering, for adult classes, too.
“The way we please God is by serving others,” Westbrook said. “If I can influence these young girls to live a wholesome life while serving them at the same time, I will gain all the happiness I need because God will be pleased.”
For more information: e-mail [email protected] or call 662-205-6446. 
