I Am Dad

Why Fathers Cry at Night w/ Kwame Alexander

Why Fathers Cry at Night is an intimate and non-traditional (or "new-fashioned") memoir, Kwame Alexander shares snapshots of a man learning how to love. He takes us through stories of his parents: from being awkward newlyweds in the sticky Chicago summer of 1967, to the sometimes-confusing ways they showed their love to each other, and for him. He explores his own relationships—his difficulties as a newly wedded, 22-year-old father, and the precariousness of his early marriage working in a jazz club with his second wife. Alexander attempts to deal with the unravelling of his marriage and the grief of his mother's recent passing while sharing the solace he found in learning how to perfect her famous fried chicken dish. With an open heart, Alexander weaves together memories of his past to try and understand his greatest love: his daughters. Full of heartfelt reminisces, family recipes, love poems, and personal letters, Why Fathers Cry at Night inspires bravery and vulnerability in every reader who has experienced the reckless passion, heartbreak, failure, and joy that define the whirlwind woes and wonders of love. 
Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, producer, and #1 New York Times Bestselling author of 36 books, including THE DOOR OF NO RETURN, AN AMERICAN STORY, BECOMING MUHAMMAD ALI, co-authored with James Patterson, REBOUND, which was shortlisted for prestigious UK Carnegie Medal, The Caldecott Medal and Newbery Honor-winning picture book, THE UNDEFEATED, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, and his NEWBERY medal-winning middle grade novel, THE CROSSOVER. A regular contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, Kwame is the recipient of numerous awards, including The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, The Coretta Scott King Author Honor, Three NAACP Image Award Nominations, and the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award. In 2018, he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic in Ghana, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an international literacy program he co-founded. He is the writer and executive producer of THE CROSSOVER TV series on Disney+.

The Importance of Fatherhood Engagement in Youth Educational Outcomes - Vito Borrello

Vito J. Borrello is the first Executive Director for the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE), appointed in September 2014. Since its founding, NAFSCE has addressed systemic issues to advance family, school and community engagement as a strategy for child development, student achievement and school improvement. Initiatives include Reframing the Family Engagement Conversation and the establishment of the National Alliance for Family Engagement; the 18-state State Consortium on Family Engagement in partnership with the Council for Chief State School Officers; and its Family Engagement Consortium on Pre-service Educator Preparation. Prior to his current position, Mr. Borrello served as the 19-year president of Every Person Influences Children, a New York-based organization providing parenting education, and family engagement in education programs. Current National Advisory Board Member roles include Scholastic, and the Center for Education Equity. Recent previous national roles include membership on the National Family, School and Community Engagement Working Group; and two completed terms as both an Appointed and At-Large Board Member for National PTA, where he also served on committees for finance, legislation, resource development, strategic planning and leadership recruitment. He is co-founder and Chairman Emeritus for the NY State Family Engagement Coalition. Prior to his NAFSCE appointment, Mr. Borrello was Chairman of the NY State PTA Urban Initiatives Task Force, Steering Committee member of the NY State Parenting Education Partnership, and a past appointee to NY State Education Department workgroups for Teacher Standards, Striving Readers, and Safe Schools. In his home community of Western New York, Mr. Borrello is a past Board Member for the State University of NY at Buffalo's Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention; past Chairman for the Care Management Coalition of Western New York, and past Board member for Buffalo's Read to Succeed literacy initiative. He is a graduate of the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York Fellowship program and a 1998 graduate of Leadership Buffalo. Mr. Borrello has a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Wittenberg University and resides in East Amherst, New York with his wife, Maria, and has two daughters, Marisa and Samantha. He commutes to the NAFSCE offices located in Alexandria, Virginia.

Interviews from the 3rd Annual National Returning Citizens Conference

As the CEO of Fathers Incorporated, I am honored to support the White House’s proclamation for Second Chance Month. This significant initiative recognizes the potential for change and growth in every individual, regardless of their past. In our work to empower fathers and strengthen families, we understand the importance of providing opportunities for redemption and transformation.
In the spirit of Second Chance Month, we want to acknowledge the graduates of our Gentle Warriors Academy. These dedicated fathers have come to understand the crucial role they play in the lives of their children, even after making mistakes. They have embraced their journey towards self-improvement and have become a shining example of the power of second chances.

The World of Sideline Dads in Youth Sports

Fathers Incorporated introducing an "new" podcast called "SIDELINE DAD"
The podcast that's all about promoting positive father involvement in youth sports. This podcast is designed to help dads navigate the world of youth sports, providing tips, advice, and inspiration to help them support their children and make the most of their sports experience.
As a sideline dad, you have an important role to play in your child's sports journey. This podcast is dedicated to helping you fulfill that role to the best of your ability, by sharing stories and insights from experts, coaches, and other dads who have been there before.
In each episode, we'll explore a different topic related to youth sports, from strategies for staying positive in the face of setbacks, to tips for helping your child develop good sportsmanship and teamwork skills. We'll also tackle some of the challenges that can arise in the world of youth sports, such as dealing with overly competitive parents or navigating the complexities of sports travel.
Whether you're a seasoned sports dad or just starting out on this journey, "Sideline Dad" is the podcast for you. So grab a seat on the sideline, put on your headphones, and join us as we explore the world of youth sports and help you become the best sideline dad you can be!
You can subscribe to learn more about the podcast launch in September 2023. You can subscribe and follow the up-to-date news at www.sidelinedad.com

What Does Hip Hop Lyrics Have to Say About Fatherhood w/ Dr. J. L. Adolph

In 2018, Dr. J. L. Adolph completed his Ph.D. in English/African Diaspora Studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia; his dissertation centered on Fatherhood Narratives in Hip-hop Lyricism.  He received an MA from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2009 and a BA in English with a minor in Africana Studies from Central Missouri State University, May 2005.  
Dr. JL Adolph has a professional background in utilizing hip-hop culture as a tool to teach at-promise youth and families with histories of trauma successfully. The English professor employs innovative communication methods furnishing an educational space to discuss urban male parenting in Contemporary America. His keynote speeches and interactive online series Dad Cypher: A Hip-hop Guide to Fatherhood challenges critics' skepticism of hip-hop culture and the mythology of African American fatherhood. As a media literacy specialist and researcher, Adolph utilizes his expertise to empower inner-city marginalized dads. Hence, his works seek to alter or “remix” the mainstream narrative of African-American fatherhood. 

Navigating the Cornerstones of Responsible Fatherhood w/ Dr. Jeff Johnson

Dr. Jeffery M. Johnson is President and CEO of the National Partnership for Community  Leadership (NPCL)whose mission is to strengthen the service capacity of public/private agencies to empower low-income parents and youth through innovative training techniques,  practical program management tools and evidence-based practices. 
As president of NPCL, Dr. Johnson has overseen the planning and implementation of two of the nation's most significant social welfare research projects involving low-income men and fathers. 
Since 1997, under Dr. Johnson leadership, NPCL has convened an annual international fatherhood conference that attracts policymakers, family practitioners, and parents worldwide. 
He was also the visionary and national planning committee chair for the 100th anniversary of  Father’s Day. Dr. Johnson also presided over the National Youth Development Practitioner’s Institute for the Department of Labor’s Youth Opportunities Unlimited Program. Additionally, Dr. Johnson currently serves as Dean of the Fatherhood Learning Academy for the Healthy Start Technical Assistance and Support Center. 

It’s All About Child Support w/ Dr. Jessica Pearson

The Fatherhood Research and Practice Network (FRPN) is a five-year initiative funded by Office of Planning Research and Evaluation to build the evidence base for fatherhood programming. Co-directed by Jessica Pearson of CPR and Jay Fagan, professor of social work, Temple University, FRPN funds teams of researchers and practitioners to conduct rigorous research; provides technical assistance to grantees to improve the quality of the research they conduct; builds the capacity of researchers and fatherhood practitioners by conducting webinars, training programs, preparing written materials, and conducting original research on fatherhood; and disseminates new research and best practices through a comprehensive website, www.frpn.org.
Pearson founded CPR in 1981. Her research includes some of the first national studies of mediation in custody and visitation disputes, parent education, and supervised visitation. She has also completed leading evaluations of new initiatives in child support programs including hospital-based paternity, family-centered services, collaborations with workforce agencies, early intervention strategies, methods of avoiding and addressing child support debt, and addressing parenting time orders and access and visitation problems.
Dr. Pearson served as co-principal investigator of a seven-state demonstration project that resulted in the creation of the State Access and Visitation Grant Program that now awards $10 million annually for programs to support parenting time. Pearson provides technical assistance, research, and facilitation services to federal, state and local agencies, and service delivery programs. Her areas of expertise include improving access to public benefit programs, developing effective work programs for low-income parents and mentoring and literacy programs for disadvantaged learners.
Dr. Pearson is currently the Director of the national Fatherhood Research and Practice Network where she oversees grants distributed to projects to rigorously evaluate fatherhood programs, and provides training to improve practice and evaluation in the fatherhood field. 

Let’s Talk about Sex: Having “THE TALK” w/ Jackie Brewton

Jackie Brewton is a highly sought-after youth speaker, author and teen relationship expert. She is a graduate of Furman University. In 2001, she walked away from a successful career in corporate America in 2001 to establish, MotivationN3D, Inc. a motivational speaking company. She can be found speaking to classrooms of thirty or delivering keynotes before large assemblies of thousands. Over the past 20 years, Jackie has spoken to hundreds of thousands of teens across the country and abroad, and has amassed more than 17,000 letters from students. These letters, along with her “real talk” classroom discussions, have given her a window into the hearts and minds of teen girls and guys, few adults ever get to experience.

From Good Times to Black-ish: Exploring Black Fathers in Television w/ Dr. Janice Kelly

Dr. Janice Kelly is a Full Professor, the Chair of Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Program Director of Professional Communications at Molloy University. She was a guest editor for Fathering: Theory, Research, and Practice about Men as Fathers. She produced a documentary on “Perceptions of Fathers in the Media: In search of the Ideal Father.” She co-edited “Deconstructing Dads: Changing Images of Fathers in Popular Culture.” 
She holds memberships and leadership in several local and national professional organizations and community-based initiatives. She recently published Sistas in Action: Hearing the call leading the way in the book Black Female leaders in Academia: Eliminating the Glass Ceiling with Efficacy, Exuberance, and Excellence. And co-authored an article, “From Silver Streak to Black Panther: The shifting landscape of Black masculinity in film.” Her recent project examines the evolving images and perceptions of Black fathers in TV commercials between 2018-2022. Her research interests include organizational communication, media literacy, media representation of the black family, and gender and leadership styles.

A Daddy Tragedy: Why Do People Commit Suicide? w/ Dr. Thomas Joiner

THOMAS JOINER grew up in Georgia, went to college at Princeton, and received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. He is The Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology at Florida State University (FSU), Tallahassee, Florida. Dr. Joiner’s work is on the psychology, neurobiology, and treatment of suicidal behavior and related conditions. Author of over 795 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Joiner is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior, and was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship and the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Residency Fellowship for work on suicidal behavior.