Elika Bernard has been teaching visual and performing arts in Sacramento for ten years. She loves singing opera, jazz, contemporary worship, and neo-soul. In her twenty-nine short years of life, Elika has been given wonderful musical opportunities, including performing for many famous faces. Elika is raising her 3 ½ year old son, Eldra Lewis, and shared with us how she is living a fulfilling life as a single parent.
Loving her Brown Baby takes total dedication and investment. Elika’s goals for her son are simple but powerful. “I hope Eldrah stays focused, comes to love humanity and God, and respects women. Another hope that he is able to find the path God wants him to walk and stay focused on that, and is the best at that. I hope he becomes a leader and a voice for the voiceless,” she says. Experiencing her son’s unconditional love and seeing him flourish is her greatest reward.
Living a fulfilling life as a single parent does not come without challenges. “I wish I could spend more time engaging Eldrah. I will next year, but that was my challenge this year. Also, finding resources that challenge his imagination. Because he’s a boy, he’s expected to act a certain way, especially in the African American community. I want him to be able to be himself. I don’t want him to repeat the pattern of people who came before him or stereotypes as well,” Elika refects. “I have a village, so I rely on them. I realize I couldn’t raise him on my own. People in my family and community help me with him. Every mother needs a village, it’s impossible to do it on your own. We should not have guilt about leaning on the village.”
To read the full news story on Elika Bernard and her son, CLICK HERE to download the article from the Winter 2017 issue of THE HUB Magazine.
Loving Brown Babies (LBB) is a social media campaign focused on the pleasures of motherhood and families in 
celebration of raising African American children. The campaign is a part of the efforts led by the Steering Committee on Reduction for African American Child Deaths (RAACD) which is funded by the County of Sacramento, City of Sacramento and First 5 Sacramento, and is managed by The Center. To learn more,
visit www.shfcenter.org/raacd.
The LBB campaign is produced and managed by the Sac Cultural Hub Media Foundation. For questions about LBB contact call (916) 234-3589 or e-mail contact@sacculturalhub.com.
Written by Contributing Writer, Donna Ramos
