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A Scarcity of Black Father Support Systems

The Black Fatherhood Podcast

Release Date: 07/03/2023

Fathers and Family Court show art Fathers and Family Court

The Black Fatherhood Podcast

Judge Mitchell, presiding Judge of the Juvenile Division in Dane County, oversees a myriad of juvenile and child welfare, family and civil cases.  Judge Mitchell joins us today to talk about what fathers need to know about identifying and securing their parental rights, and the challenges many men face once 'in the system'.

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Black Fathers Need Stronger Support Systems show art Black Fathers Need Stronger Support Systems

The Black Fatherhood Podcast

Black dads can too easily be excluded from the social welfare system, challenging their ability to be gainfully employed, engage with their children, and sustain a good quality of life. Dr. David Pate, Associate Professor and Chair Emeritus of the Social Work department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, joins us to talk about the effects of social welfare policy on the lives of Black men and their children.

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Fathers and Feathers: BIPOC Birding for All show art Fathers and Feathers: BIPOC Birding for All

The Black Fatherhood Podcast

On a mission to "spread as much joy as possible", Dexter Patterson, aka The Wisco Birder, is dedicated to making birdwatching welcoming for all birders around the state of Wisconsin.  As founding member of The BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin, Dexter joins us to share in a “community of people of color who love the outdoors and the birds and beauty of natural Wisconsin and wish to connect with others who share the same passion."

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Challenges of Being a Father show art Challenges of Being a Father

The Black Fatherhood Podcast

As our next guest writes, “Fatherhood, while immensely rewarding, comes with its own set of challenges. As a black father, these challenges are often compounded by societal pressures and stereotypes that can weigh heavily on your shoulders.”  And we agree.  Kenneth Braswell, a life long advocate for responsible fatherhood and mental health, joins us to talk about the challenges - and joys - of Black fatherhood. 

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Jacob Blake on Fatherhood and Life After Kenosha show art Jacob Blake on Fatherhood and Life After Kenosha

The Black Fatherhood Podcast

Exclusive Interview:  In August 2020, Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot seven times in the back by a white officer outside an apartment complex in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  The shooting, which happened in front of Jacob's children, prompted national outrage with riots and protests breaking out across the country.  But despite his new identity as a contemporary civil rights icon, the first word Jacob uses to describe himself is “father.”  Today we’re speaking with Jacob Blake about Black Fatherhood, and how that fateful summer night shaped his role as father,...

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The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health show art The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health

The Black Fatherhood Podcast

Mental health is too often overlooked and under appreciated in the Black community.  Dr. Rheeda Walker, an award-winning professor, psychologist, and author of The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health, join us to talk about the mental health crisis in our community today, and how "in order to reclaim a life worth living, you must first reclaim your mind.”

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Alex Wheatle: Sufferah show art Alex Wheatle: Sufferah

The Black Fatherhood Podcast

Abandoned as a baby to the British foster care system, best-sellling author Alex Wheatle grew up without any knowledge of his Jamaican parentage or family history.   Alex joins us to share stories from his new memoir "Sufferah" - of his early years at the notorious Shirley Oaks children’s home in London, through the Brixton Uprising, to the front porch in Jamaica of the father who abandoned him as an infant 24 years later.

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Kwame Alexander on Fatherhood show art Kwame Alexander on Fatherhood

The Black Fatherhood Podcast

Kwame Alexander, one of America’s most beloved writers, joins us to talk about Why Fathers Cry at Night - a collection of poems, recipes, and letters to his family about the beginnings of love, the ends of love, being a father, and a son.

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How a Street Kid Turned Foster Dad Found Acceptance and Truth show art How a Street Kid Turned Foster Dad Found Acceptance and Truth

The Black Fatherhood Podcast

From his childhood on the streets in Uganda to his life as an adoptive father and foster father of over 30 children, our guest, Peter Mutabazi, has an extraordinary personal story that weaves together countries, continents, social strata, and family – at every possible level.    

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Black Santa show art Black Santa

The Black Fatherhood Podcast

Fred Conley, a community icon in Madison, Wisconsin, saw the need for representation at Christmastime and went to work.  Shifting careers from a lifetime of experience as a police officer, Fred embraced his new role as a cherished holiday icon for Black children across the country.

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Supports and resources that focus on Black fathers are scarce, and fathers' access to these supports for fathers is limited. Dr. Latrice Rollins, Assistant Professor at the Morehouse School of Medicine in the Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine and Prevention Research Center, and the director of the National African American Child and Family Research Center, joins us to explain how any move towards father inclusive services must embrace two levels of involvement: “Father Awareness”, and “Father Friendliness".