By Jefferson Díaz
The Truth Reporter
As part of the 20th Annual African American Festival and sponsored by the Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union, a panel on healthy relationships was held on Friday, July 19, at the GHDT Worship Center in Toledo.
The women on the panel were: Sheula Eason, CEO and founder of Elevate People Solutions; Debora Banks, LSW, COO of Joan Marie; Sabrina Harris, CFO, Lancaster County; La’Shardae Scott, PhD, CEO of the SCOTT Center for Observation Treatment and Transition; Ashley Benson, PhD, VP Student Affairs Lourdes University; Roslyn Clemons, director Housing and Community Development, City of Toledo.
The male panelists were: Mike Armour, community advocate, Willie, McKether, PhD, UT; Cecil Holston, One Person at a Time; Craig Burny, Vintage Lifestyle; Michael Day, Jr, House of Day; Terry Crosby, Taylor Automotive; Anthony Amison, Redeemed Fitness.
The panelists were led by Valerie Simmons-Walston, EdD, and Jim Snodgrass, who began the discussion by asking what were the essential elements of a healthy relationship and how one should choose a partner to share their life with.
“The first thing we must have is communication. Without communication, everything falls apart,” said Holston, who added that all relationships should have a space where “each person can retreat and have time alone to reflect on their decisions.”
The debate grew increasingly intense when the obligations within a marriage and how both men and women should fulfill them came up.
“Each person in a relationship should seek the other’s growth. Our partners should be an essential part of our success,” commented Benson.
“Support should be mutual. Both men and women need a relationship where each partner can establish a safe space,” said Scott.
The discussion led to a lot of common ground among those present regarding what a healthy relationship should look like.
“I think there’s also a generational gap that needs to be taken into account. Couples in the past were more focused on traditional roles within a marriage than couples today,” commented McKether.
The conversation lasted two hours, ending with Simmons and Walston urging those present to reflect the lessons learned from the evening in each of their relationships, saying it was important to “find moments like this, moments of connection, where we can talk and move forward with our partners.”