The Fatherhood Project: A Story of Courage and Healing in One of America's Toughest Communities

Shirley J.    Adult Non-Fiction           Coaching Young Black Men in Watts on how to be Fathers

The Fatherhood Project: A Story of Courage and Healing in One of America's Toughest Communities by Gorja Leap     256 pages

In 2010 the first group forum for Project Fatherhood began in the South Los Angeles Watts neighborhood.   As incentive to get men from the community to come to the forum, they were promised gift cards (the kind with money put on them) for every 4th meeting they attended.  What started out as hit or miss and lots of attitude ended up becoming a tight family of men from teens to middle-age O. G.s, all working together to help each other and their community out.   The young men were able to have a place where they were free to air their thoughts, feelings and to learn from each other what it takes to be a father to their children when few had grown up in two parent homes.  Without their own father's guidance and teaching, the streets became their teachers and the lessons were learned and implemented but the information was not always positive.  Some of the men grew up in homes where they were abused, mentally, violently and/or sexually  which taught them to mistrust and hate.  Most of the men felt that not having a male father figure they didn't know how to treat a child of their own and often reacted with anger to their women and children.  Many times they loved their kids and wanted to take care of them, but did not have a job, or were incarcerated and couldn't be there in the household due to affiliations outside the home.  Drugs and gangs could also come into play.   This mixed bag of life in Watts left many of the men feeling ill equipped to handle parenthood but with the support of Project Fatherhood men were able to come together, help each other, talk each other through struggles and help the upcoming fathers in the neighborhood develop and grow into the role of Dad.  The Project has been able to assist in job placements, counsel and aid in legal advice and representation, serve/volunteer in the neighborhood and coach each other whenever possible.  They have been instrumental in anger management, mentoring in cases where men have responded with violence toward their wives, girlfriends, and/or children to teach and coach them toward other ways to respond and with calming techniques to reason through situations.  To think first before they automatically react negatively.   A deeply moving book and a worthy program that is still going today.    I recommend this book to middle schoolers on up.   It is a look at life some know and others need to know.