- Moderator
- #1
Sometimes stereotypes are so pervasive, you never think to question them, this is one.
A dad posted joyful photos of black fathers to shatter stereotypes. It became a movement.
Sean Williams’s life changed four years ago at his local grocery store in Long Island.
Williams, a 37-year-old black man and father of three, was running errands with his youngest daughter when a white woman approached him.
She wanted to commend him for “sticking around,” he said.
This wasn’t the first time Williams received this type of comment. In his predominantly white neighborhood, the stay-at-home dad recalled getting frequent praise from neighbors, who applauded him for being an involved black father.
Williams knew why people were congratulating him: They were perpetuating the racist and pervasive myth of the “missing black father,” which purports that black fathers are too often absent from their children’s lives.
“I spoke with my friends who are all active black dads and asked them if they had similar experiences,” Williams said. “The answer was yes.”
After the grocery store incident, Williams made it his mission to shatter a stereotype that he knew was baseless.
Data from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that the majority of black fathers do, in fact, live with their children. The same study also showed that black fathers are more likely to feed, bathe, diaper, dress and play with their children on a daily basis than their white and Hispanic counterparts.
Williams aimed to debunk the misconception of black fatherhood by creating an initiative called The Dad Gang.
He began by posting photos of him and his kids, now ages 15, 4 and 3, on social media. Then he started posting photos of other black fathers he knew.
It started as an Instagram page, with the goal of focusing exclusively on positive stories, images and videos of active black dads,” Williams said. “I wanted to showcase the reality of black fatherhood and rewrite the narrative.”
Over the past year, The Dad Gang grew from merely a digital platform to a sprawling community of fathers across the country.
Last June, Williams organized a “Strollin’ with the Homies” event in New York City, where more than 100 dads came together with their kids for a group walk.
A dad posted joyful photos of black fathers to shatter stereotypes. It became a movement.
Sean Williams’s life changed four years ago at his local grocery store in Long Island.
Williams, a 37-year-old black man and father of three, was running errands with his youngest daughter when a white woman approached him.
She wanted to commend him for “sticking around,” he said.
This wasn’t the first time Williams received this type of comment. In his predominantly white neighborhood, the stay-at-home dad recalled getting frequent praise from neighbors, who applauded him for being an involved black father.
Williams knew why people were congratulating him: They were perpetuating the racist and pervasive myth of the “missing black father,” which purports that black fathers are too often absent from their children’s lives.
“I spoke with my friends who are all active black dads and asked them if they had similar experiences,” Williams said. “The answer was yes.”
After the grocery store incident, Williams made it his mission to shatter a stereotype that he knew was baseless.
Data from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that the majority of black fathers do, in fact, live with their children. The same study also showed that black fathers are more likely to feed, bathe, diaper, dress and play with their children on a daily basis than their white and Hispanic counterparts.
Williams aimed to debunk the misconception of black fatherhood by creating an initiative called The Dad Gang.
He began by posting photos of him and his kids, now ages 15, 4 and 3, on social media. Then he started posting photos of other black fathers he knew.
It started as an Instagram page, with the goal of focusing exclusively on positive stories, images and videos of active black dads,” Williams said. “I wanted to showcase the reality of black fatherhood and rewrite the narrative.”
Over the past year, The Dad Gang grew from merely a digital platform to a sprawling community of fathers across the country.
Last June, Williams organized a “Strollin’ with the Homies” event in New York City, where more than 100 dads came together with their kids for a group walk.
