Episode 179: What’s The Problem With a Teenage Mom?
“Congratulations, you are simply glowing!” “You’re going to be a wonderful mother, I’m so happy for you,” are just a few of the phrases said to women who are pregnant. But when it comes to teenage pregnancy and teenage fatherhood, you may not hear those words and most certainly will experience shame and lack of support, at a time when you would need the most support. L. Joy brings Nicole Lynn Lewis to the front of the class to discuss teen parenthood and how we as a society can give the support our young parents deserve.
Homework:
Like L. Joy, let’s change the language we use. We are using Teenage Parenthood because it encompasses both expectant parents who need support.
Examine the policies in your area. See if they offer wraparound services to help young parents and advocate for change if there are no such policies.
Check out Generation Hope https://www.generationhope.org/ to see how you can get involved.
Read our guest’s perspective and experience as a teen mom in her book “Pregnant Girl”
Our Guest:
Nicole Lynn Lewis is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Generation Hope, a nonprofit organization that surrounds motivated teen parents and their children with the mentors, emotional support, and financial resources that they need to thrive in college and kindergarten, thereby driving a two-generation solution to poverty.
A former teen mother who put herself through the College of William & Mary with her three-month old daughter in tow, Nicole now works every day to change the statistic that less than 2% of teen mothers will earn their degrees before age 30. Generation Hope rallies around teen parents to help them earn college degrees and forge a path to economic opportunity and is now expanding its work nationally to help colleges and universities and policymakers across the country better meet the needs of the nearly 4 million parenting students who are working toward their degrees.
Nicole is a member of the board of trustees of Trinity Washington University and a National Advisory Board member of The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice. Most recently, she was recognized as one of five “luminaries,” innovative Black education leaders from around the country, who each received a $1 million award from the The 1954 Project, which invests in initiatives that “strengthen pathways from education to career in order to drive economic mobility in the Black community.” Nicole is also a recipient of the Black Voices for Black Justice Award, which “recognizes incredible leaders who have been on the frontlines working to dismantle the deep-rooted, racist systems that have plagued our country for centuries,” and the Boulder Fund award through Education Leaders of Color, which “supports the innovations of leaders of color in education.” She has received various awards, including being honored as a CNN Hero and the national grand prize winner of the Roslyn S. Jaffe Award, and has been featured on major news outlets including “Good Morning America,” CNN, “NBC Nightly News,” and The Washington Post. She is also a nationally known author and speaker with her book, Pregnant Girl, released by Beacon Press in the spring of 2021, which was featured on NPR’s ‘Fresh Air’ and reviewed in The New York Times. Pregnant Girl was also named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2021.
Nicole holds a Master’s degree in Social Policy and Communication from George Mason University and a Bachelor’s degree in English from the College of William & Mary. Nicole and her husband, Donté Lewis, live in Maryland with their five children.
