Black Fathers Are Building the Communities We Couldn’t Find
When my wife and I were preparing to welcome our first son, I scoured the internet for resources that would help me prepare for fatherhood. I searched for guides, classes and communities in Chicago where I could connect with other dads. I did not find what I was looking for.
I knew those resources were missing because I saw what was available to my wife: prenatal and parenting classes, postpartum groups, yoga, walks, coffee meetups and systems designed to check on her mental health.
The primary advice offered to me was simple: Support Mom.
That was—and remains—one of my most important responsibilities. Mothers deserve care, advocacy and support, particularly Black women, who continue to face unacceptable disparities during pregnancy and after childbirth. But I also found myself quietly asking: What about us?
Where were the spaces helping fathers prepare emotionally for parenthood? Where could we discuss our fears, learn from one another and build the relationships that seem to develop more naturally among moms? Who was checking on our mental health?
My questions eventually turned into action. I founded Daddy Victory Club, a Chicago-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting Black fathers and families. Since then, we have connected with more than 300 dads through Daddy & Me
walks, running and fitness activities, fatherhood conversations and a celebration with the Chicago Bears honoring local Black fathers.
Our Fathers Flow yoga experience was recently featured in HuffPost in an article titled, “These Black Men Are Turning to Yoga to Build Meaningful Connections.” The story captured something I have witnessed repeatedly: Black fathers are looking for spaces where we can be vulnerable, care for ourselves and develop genuine friendships.
We are currently with a local hospital to develop resources that more intentionally include fathers throughout pregnancy, delivery and the postpartum period. Those resources must begin with supporting the person whose body carries and delivers the baby. But they should also acknowledge the emotional experiences of fathers, including paternal postpartum depression and anxiety.
Supporting fathers does not diminish the attention mothers deserve. It gives families another supported, informed and emotionally present parent. Daddy Victory Club is not alone in answering this need. In Los Angeles, Hezekiah “Hez” Johnson founded Rolling With Dads, bringing fathers together through movement and community. In Charlotte, my Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity brother Rashamod “Mod” Torrance founded Active Dad to connect Black fathers and challenge outdated perceptions of Black fatherhood.
Different cities. Different programs. The same realization: Black fathers are looking for one another—and when we cannot find the community we need, we build it.
This movement is larger than most people realize. Black fathers are organizing walks, workouts, support groups, playdates and community events across the country. Yet these efforts remain largely invisible to national media and many of the institutions responsible for supporting families.
Even the familiar caricature of the absent Black father collapses under scrutiny. A national CDC study has long shown Black fathers participating meaningfully in the daily lives of their children, including sharing meals, bathing, dressing, reading and helping with homework. The reality has always been more complicated — and more hopeful — than the stereotype.
I have now been invited into a growing network of fatherhood leaders working together across cities. We are not asking to be applauded simply for parenting our children. We are asking hospitals, schools, funders, policymakers and the media to recognize what is already happening and invest in its growth.
I began this journey searching for community. What I found were Black fathers across America building it.
When I first became a father, I wondered: What about us? Now I know the answer — and it’s us.
Kouri Marshall is the founder of Daddy Victory Club, a Chicago- based nonprofit creating community, wellness and family-centered experiences for Black fathers and their children. A father of two, Marshall is also a public affairs and government-relations leader whose work spans technology policy, civic engagement and community building.
