The records of Save Our Sons and Daughters comprise two linear feet. The records are divided into three series: Topical Files, Correspondence, and Visual. The collection is most valuable for the documentation it provides on the establishment and life of an urban, grass roots organization. It also provides insight into the profound impact of teen violence on the lives of Detroiters.
Save Our Sons and Daughters (SOSAD) was organized in 1987 by Clementine Barfield, who currently serves as its executive director. In January of that year, Ms. Barfield called together several parents of children killed in Detroit during 1986. Her son Derick Barfield was killed in July 1986 and another son critically wounded. The parents and concerned citizens met at the Church of the New Covenant-Baptist to organize a support group and to fight for gun control. They designated themselves "The Group Without A Name" (GWN).
The first act of the newly formed group was to declare a week of prayer in memory of the deceased youth. The week culminated with a memorial service on February 8, 1987, at the cathedral of St. Paul's in Detroit, and was attended by over 1,400 people. This memorial service has become a yearly tradition with SOSAD. In the aftermath of the memorial service over 300 people attended a meeting with Barfield and others from GWN on February 15, 1987 to form an organization. In late March the organization officially took the name SOSAD.
Since its founding, SOSAD has conducted and planned many community programs aimed at reducing youth homicides in Detroit and addressing the problem of teen violence. These programs include a 24 hour telephone hotline to support survivors of violence; youth leadership classes; grief counseling; crisis intervention programs in area schools; a speakers bureau to address community organizations, schools, churches and legislators; and a court watching system to assist families going through the criminal justice system. In providing support for survivors, SOSAD conducts a grief counseling session every week for the parents and relatives of children who have been killed. The organization has also undertaken marches in Detroit to stop violence and holds an anti-handgun vigil every Monday at noon in downtown Detroit. Financial support for SOSAD comes from government funds, foundation grants, proceeds from benefits, membership dues, and donations from supporters. Branches of SOSAD are being organized in other cities including Flint, Michigan; Fresno, California; St. Louis, Missouri; Birmingham, Alabama; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Clementine Barfield was born and raised in the Mississippi Delta. She received her BS degree from Wayne State University in 1981, and an honorary doctorate from Marygrove College (Detroit, Michigan) in 1988. She has received many awards from local and national organizations for her work in the areas of violence prevention, victim advocacy and community service, including an award from President Ronald Reagan during Crime Victim Awareness Week in 1988. She has appeared on a number of national television programs such as Oprah Winfrey, Phil Donahue, Geraldo Rivera, and 20/20, and her work has been featured in national publications such as Ms, magazine (1991) and Women's World. In addition to her work with SOSAD, Ms. Barfield has served as board member of the National Organization of Victim Assistance (NOVA), co-chair of the Detroit Spotlight Crime Task Force, and member of the Wayne County Crime Reduction Advisory Board.
