By AFRO Intern Team
This week the AFRO Intern Team conducted interviews with Black men on the best piece of advice that their fathers and mentors have given them. Community members spoke on the importance of having a father figure in their lives, and how they instilled morals and life skills to help them thrive.
“When I’m in a tough situation and it’s hard for me to focus on the task at hand, my father always told me to make sure you keep your mind on the big picture. Don’t get distracted by parties. He always told me to think about my actions before I take them. Having that relationship- a man to man relationship–was much needed. If it’s just the mother, that’s cool- but it’s different when you have a father to teach you things because you’re both males.”
Kenyon Garnette Jr.,18 (left)
Baltimore native
BGE Intern
“My father has always told me there is no limit to my success. He always said don’t ever settle for less and when you think you’ve done enough- do more. He’s always told me to put myself first- nobody is going to help you. Do what’s best for me no matter how hard I hurt somebody’s feelings. My father grew up just like me so I know the advice he’s giving me isn’t bad.”
Kavon Gambrill, 19 (right)
Baltimore native
Service Industry Representative
“My father was really tough with me, which was good because he passed away when I was 14, but it feels like he’s still with me in everything I do. I feel like if I misbehave, my dad is there to correct me. I still have that fear. Everything he taught me, I’ll teach my daughter: respect your elders, value other human beings, behave, succeed and work hard. Black fathers matter.”
“It feels good to be a father.”
Borgia Bogalet, 38
Gaithersburg, Md. via Democratic Republic of the Congo
Real Estate Agent
“My father taught me to treat women with respect, do not put your hands on them. If they don’t speak to me with respect– leave them alone.”
Michael Gutrick, 15
Baltimore native
Student, Vivian T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy
“I have 11 brothers and three sisters. They taught me how to stay strong mentally and physically. They kept their foot in my a**! I was the baby boy–they made sure I went to school and they taught me how to take care of my own kids.”
Allen Curry, 60
Baltimore native
“My parents are both West African immigrants. My father and mother are both from Liberia. My father left Liberia the day the civil war started. To take that risk to come here and start new–that’s everything [to me]. Hearing those stories at the dinner table, he always told us that he didn’t come here for nothing. It was for a reason, for a legacy. So the main thing he instilled in me was legacy, that’s why I started my own brand, so that my kids can have something. They don’t necessarily have to [keep] my brand, but it is something to build on top of, to be able to grow from.”
“One piece of advice he gave me was to demand respect. And not in a forceful way, but just in the way that you carry yourself, how you articulate your thoughts and how you represent yourself. That’s the most important thing that he taught me.”
Allan Koikoi, 27
Baltimore native
Owner of A Koi Story
The following AFRO Interns contributed to this report: Mekhi Abbott, Gabby Howard, Aleshia Robinson, Madeline Seck, Tierra Stone, Lizzie Suber and Mackenzie Williams.