We will strive to learn from all of our history: the generations of racial injustice and the generations of resistance and uplift.
We will continue to listen to and engage more authentically with one another and welcome new allies.
We will work to transform all systems—judicial, education, health, social service—and institutional laws that disproportionately criminalize and police people of color. Reimagining systems of collective care that nurture and support communities.
I walked into the Wilkins Board Room early Saturday morning around 7:45 AM, and was greeted by the always effervescent Ayesha McAdams-Mahmoud. Ayesha, who facilitated this two-day, Digital Storytelling Workshop, had been professionally trained by Storycenter (formerly, the Center for Digital Storytelling). The room was basically set up already when I arrived. It was clear that Ayesha had planned the entire workshop down to a "T", and was ready to bat away any curveballs thrown at her (this was evidenced by the email she sent to the VISTAs at 4:38 AM earlier that morning clarifying a pre-event survey that we needed to help with). She was ready for anything.
Within the Vital Village Network, there was a recognized need for supportive services for males and fathers. As a result, the Vital Village Network Male Engagement Taskforce was formed. Vital Village’s Male Engagement Taskforce has been heavily involved in collecting data to examine father engagement in the early stages of child development.
Before I became an AmeriCorps VISTA, male engagement and fatherhood initiatives were not even a blip on my radar. The depiction of black fatherhood in society today is often negative and as a result, a very large shadow is cast on the male caregivers that are positively involved in their children’s lives. Not all fathers follow the storyline that leads to their incarceration or parental absence. Through the Leadership Summit, I was able to meet individuals working in Boston to support these present and committed fathers.
When it comes to the climate of fatherhood and male engagement work in Boston, there are organizations that have succeeded in delivering services to promote self-care and development, building relationships, and navigating social support institutions.
