A Love Letter To Black Dads

Jordan McGowan
7 min readJun 5, 2022
the author & his father

This is a love letter to Black Dads. But really this letter stands as a love letter to any young Black boy in this euro-kkkolonial wilderness; this is a love letter to Black boys that will be privileged enough to grow into Black men.

Black Dads mean so much more because Black Dads have been strategically ripped away from our People. This is because in true communal fashion Black Dads serve as a demonstration of what fathers look like not just for our individual family but for the community as a whole; they bring a presence to our community that is needed. Our People learn through observation and participation — that translates as our young men learn how to be fathers and men from the older Brothas that influence them. Whether that be their dad, unkle, older cousin, coach, friends pops, grandfather — remember Afrikans are indigenously a communal people. We have lived with Ubuntu culture for thousands of years. So as Black Dads, we must remember that whatever we show our children and community will be the way we shape our next set of Black men.

It is the love I have for the Black Dads who shaped me; the tradition my father passed down, that pushed me to write this. My dad was the best father I could have ever asked for, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t come with flaws, shortcomings and toxic patriarchal behavior at times. In true double Gemini fashion, my pops was a…

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Jordan McGowan

Afrikan Griot — Music Lover — Former Athlete Turned Coach — Unapologetic — Political Scientist — Afrikan