Fathers Incorporated Releases 2020 Fatherhood Impact Report Addressing Its Progress With Black Fathers. The report emphasizes systemic racism and structural inequalities as impediments for Black Dads

ATLANTA (June 14, 2021)— Fathers Incorporated (FI), the leading national non-profit for the promotion of responsible fatherhood has released its 2020 Fatherhood Impact Report, updated from the last report in 2017.

Established in 2004, FI works collaboratively with organizations around the country to identify and advocate for social and legislative changes that lead to healthy father involvement with children, regardless of the father’s marital or economic status, or geographic location.

“We have known for a long time that a father’s presence is important for the positive well-being of children, families, and neighborhoods,” explains Kenneth Braswell, CEO of Fathers Incorporated, “Positively involved fathers help create well-adjusted youth.”

Logic follows that promoting responsible fatherhood should be the focus of policies, institutions, and grassroots efforts in society. However, for fathers of color—particularly Black fathers—the answer to engaging them is not always clear-cut because they face multiple impediments to both being present and actively participating in the lives of their children.

In 2020, Fathers Incorporated was awarded a Healthy Marriage Promotion and Responsible Fatherhood Grant of $5 million to fund their Gentle Warriors Academy, which provides fathers in Atlanta with help managing the responsibilities of being parents/coparents, delivers healthy marriage/relationship skills, and provides economic stability activities.

Still, nonresidential Black fathers face myriad barriers to being a stable, consistent support to their children because of other systemic challenges and structural inequalities (e.g., high unemployment, lack of education, racial discrimination, disproportionately high rates of incarceration) that are too often overlooked.

Bishop Darren Ferguson, Board President shares, “Yes, working with fathers is critical, but we must also continue removing barriers to structural equality if Black fathers and families are to succeed.”

The report details the additional important work Fathers Incorporated accomplished in 2020; however, one of the biggest contributions FI made to the fatherhood field last year was the comprehensive report, The Blueprint—Reimagining the Narrative of the Black Father.

Braswell explains,

“In it, we outline factors that are necessary for understanding the Black father, such as the economic challenges that stem from having lower rates of upward mobility and higher rates of downward mobility than whites, leading to large income disparities that persist across generations.”

“These economic factors can substantially and negatively impact Black families in real time, as we saw when examining the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many Black families found themselves vulnerable and unable to maintain their households with little-to-no liquid assets.”

To access the full report, please click here.