Black Fathers Lead By Example
Black Fathers Lead By Example
By Tia Carol Jones
On a Saturday morning, Black fathers with their children, some in strollers, some attached to them, some walking on their own; they walked down the street across from the Obama Presidential Center.
The Saturday morning walk was a partnership between the Daddy Victory Club and the Obama Foundation. The goal of the Daddy & Me Stroll was to celebrate the vital role fathers have in strengthening not just their families, but also the community. Kouri Marshall founded the Daddy Victory Club in 2007 as Generation Change. The mission to uplift and connect fathers through wellness, storytelling and community events.
Marshall said he started the Daddy Victory Club because when his son was born, he was looking for resources to help guide, but he couldn’t find many. In the last year, there have been six or seven Daddy Victory Club gatherings, with between 50 to100 men gathered at each of the events. He said that a lot of the men who have attended the walks have become friends. He said he loves it when he is at an event and sees the dads connecting and exchanging contact information.
“Daddy Victory Club has nothing to do with a job. It doesn’t matter if you’re a firefighter, garbage truck driver, Amazon delivery truck driver or corporate attorney. The job that we all come together for is the most important job in our lives and that’s being dads,” Marshall said. He said that the response for the Daddy Victory Club has been much more than he expected. He thought it would be a couple of guys coming together every once and a while with their children for play dates. What has happened is that a community is being cultivated for dads to receive support and engage with one another in meaningful ways.
During the Daddy & Me Stroll, Joshua Harris, Vice President of Public Engagement at the Obama Foundation, said that one of the best examples of fatherhood is President Barack Obama. Cameron Barnes said that the Daddy Victory Club was started because there was a need for more resources for fathers.
He said that he decided to join the organization and help it grow because fatherhood wasn’t easy for him. Growing up without a father figure, when it was his time to be a father, he wasn’t sure how to take on that responsibility. He reached out to Marshall and attended a Daddy Victory walk.
“I just met so many amazing dads that were going through the same things that I went through and we were able to piggyback ideas off of each other, talk about our journeys and figure out the best practices to make it through those journeys and be supportive to our kids, while building a legacy for future generations,” he said.
Barnes said oftentimes during doctors’ visits like prenatal visits, the father isn’t being addressed. He said the Daddy & Me Strolls that Daddy Victory Club hosts are an opportunity to bring awareness and bring Black and brown dads together to build community with each other. He said that while every father has their own story – the good parts of fatherhood and complexities of fatherhood – every father needs someone to help them during their journey.
“We just want them to know we’re here, we’re supportive and there are active dads across the city of Chicago, as well as across the country,” he said.
Barnes said that being able to see the Obama Presidential Center with his two-year old son, Carson Barnes, was significant because he wants him to understand that history, especially since Obama was the first Black President of the United States with a supportive wife, Michelle Obama. He said he wants his son and other children to hear that story and be inspired.
For more information about the Daddy Victory Club, visit www.daddyvictoryclub.org.
Latest Stories
- CHRISTMAS IN THE WARDS EMERGENCY FOOD GIVEAWAY
- Give the Gift of Joy With The Salvation Army This Holiday Season
- Black Fathers Lead By Example
- ‘A Beautiful Noise’ Performer Has All The Right Moves
- Congresswoman Robin Kelly Answers Questions
Latest Podcast
Secretary of State Giannoulias
