Real Experiences for BHM 2016: Black Fathers

Today in Black History: We often talk a lot about moms; they are the backbone of our community. We have songs like Dear Mama - Tupac and A Song for Mama - Boyz II Men, which uplift the role of mothers, but no one talks about dads. While there are definitely those who grew up without a dad, there are many Black men nailing the role of dad. I already mentioned my dad, and mentioned my older cousins who are now fathers. But I wanted to take a minute to shout out the dad's who are out being great dads! RaSha'd Colbert, Christan Grant, Jermany Parson to name a few. I know there are more of you out there. As a daddy's girl myself, I know that there is nothing that replaces the bond of a father. During slavery, Black families were torn apart so we don't generally follow "normal" familial structures. Having both a father-figure and mother-figure are important as you grow up. Some of us grow up with our birth father, some have a step-dad, others have uncles, grandfathers, next-door neighbors. It takes a village to raise a child, that's what's always made our community strong. Of course nothing replaces a dad; so hats off to the dads out there. #BlackHistoryMonth2016 #MakeItCount #DadsForTheWin

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