Yeah major salute to all the black fathers out there.
I got a 7year old son & me & my wife are expecting our 2nd son in about 2 weeks. I'm 31, she's 30. We had a lot peaks & valleys when we were younger. But through it all we stayed together, thinking about it now almost brings me to tears because we were both undergrads struggling when she got pregnant.
There were times when I had to borrow money from my mom & other family members just make sure my son had pampers for the week. Even though I was broke I knew taking my son to the park was free & I knew that I had to grind to make sure he didn't have the struggles I did as a kid. He saw me walk across the stage to get my Phd in pharmacy so I'm instilling him early how important education is..
Present day me & my wife both have great careers but thinking about how financially strapped we were earlier keeps me grounded now. It was truly the beautiful struggle, I didn't have father or a positive male influence so I get overwhelmed with joy knowing I'll be able to show my son's how to treat a woman & how to shave & tie a tie.
I believe when you're blessed you gotta pass it on. So I've been mentoring at risks kids in some of the worst parts of the city for the last 5 years. I know I can't save every fatherless black child living in the hood. But I can rent a van & have movie day once a month, do back to school drives where I pay for their supplies along with clothes & making sure they have a good xmas. I'm not patting myself on the back or looking for salutes. I'm just a man that's been through a lot & cares and will continue to help.
To all the brothas out there with son's & daughters working day in day out, keep ya head up & continue help this new generation come up better than we did...