Publisher’s Note

Black Fathers need support

Black mothers are the pillars of the African American community. Black mothers uplift our culture and maintain balance within the family and throughout our neighborhoods. Strong Black fathers are a major part of the foundation of the African American environment as well, seeking the footing they need to support and sustain their families. The perception of Black fathers has taken a hard hit in the past few decades due to mainstream media’s portrayal of Black dads as estranged or distant from their families and children. On the local front, though, one young Black father has decided to work to change the narrative of how fathers in the African American community are portrayed. His strategy is to aid Black dads and simple truths about how fathers are strongly impacting the community.

Ryan Bell is the Black father taking on the charge to assist and educate young black men and the community on the importance of their role in Southwest Virginia. When I met this young man, he exuded a sense of optimism and purpose when dealing with this topic, making sure to shed a positive light. The Black Father Initiative is a program that Ryan created to provide a platform for hard discussions and support to improve relationships among fathers and their children, especially fathers as single parents. Those facets and teachings are important tools needed to evolve our brothers into becoming effective and strong leaders in our neighborhoods. There is a poem called Live Your Creed that I like. A line from that poem reads: “I rather see a sermon than to hear one any day.”  Following the actions of Ryan and the Black Father Initiative, witnessing the actions of uplifting fathers instead of sparse comments and negative perceptions, makes me stand up and applaud the tremendous effort Ryan Bell is leading and I encourage folks to support his work.