Conference on Fatherhood

More black men may be staying in college and out of prison, but a staggering 76 percent of Baltimore's African American youth do not graduate from high school. Over 17,000 children of those in school are in special education. These revelations were made by renowned educator Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu in a charged keynote speech at the second Young Fathers Conference held at the New Shiloh Baptist Family Life Center in Baltimore on Thursday June 29.

"There is a direct correlation between illiteracy and incarceration. We can only increase the number of responsible fathers if we can help our youth learn some skills and go back to the Booker T Washington principle of self-help," the author of 24 books added.

Dr. Kunjufu was speaking on the theme 'Fatherhood: overcoming challenges, renewing our commitment, reclaiming our families' at a one-day conference organized by Casey Family Services, Maryland Regional Practitioners' Network for Fathers and Families, and the African American Male Leadership Institute.

"We can put our youth back to work and on track if we can help them learn some blue collar skills, and then we can reduce the number of kids in single parent houses. That will then have an enormous impact on the future of our community. So let us strive to create an environment that will enable our young men to do that."

During the lively eight-hour event, the excited attendees - comprising teenagers, young fathers, representatives of shelters, practitioners from Departments of Juvenile Services, Social Services and Child Support, and advocates - were served gourmet food, a lot of hope and self-help literature.

The event moderator, Darryl C. Green, Male Services Facilitator of the Baltimore Division of Casey Family Services, called on practitioners to be mindful of the state of mind of the clients they deal with. "We need you to be more empathetic towards young fathers regarding child support and the like. By the time they come in contact with you, they already have problems. We ask that you assist them on their way back onto their feet. The fatherhood movement is not anti-women or anything. We are pro-family."