We had the honor of interviewing a strong father that is a part of the Black Fathers Exist community! We would like to introduce you to Jared Jackson, a Father of 1.
BFE: What makes you proud to be a father? I’m not only proud to be a father, but I’m proud to be the father of a daughter. I’m proud of the fact that every day I get the chance to show my her the example of black love, strength, and excellence. I get to lay the foundation of what will be the amazing person that she will become in the future, lord willing.
BFE: What message do you want the world to know about Black Fatherhood? We are here. We exist. We’re not perfect. We go through tough trials and tribulations—both in and outside of the homes—as fathers, sons, husbands, and brothers, but we are resilient. We take pride in providing, protecting, and loving our children emotionally, financially, and any other way possible. The burden of knowing we have to raise our children in a society where they may not be accepted by 100% of the population is daunting, but we are built for it, and we will teach our sons and daughters to be the same.
BFE: How many children do you have and how old are they? I have one child, a daughter, and she’s 2 and a half.
BFE: As we promote Black Excellence in our community what would be the number one piece of advice that you would give your children in order for them to live up to that? Be the best version of yourself that you can be, and know that if anyone that you come across in life doesn’t accept you, they’re not being the best person that they can be.
BFE: Being a great father begins with self-improvement. What area of your life are you currently working on to be a better father? I’m trying to be a better teacher. I’m not an educator by profession, but as a parent to a toddler, I have to learn to become one for her. I don’t expect that everything in life must be taught by me alone, but I have to consciously consider that my daughter doesn’t often understand exactly what’s going on, and I can’t expect her to. I have to put the time in to help her understand more and more each day, however difficult it may seem to be.
BFE: Lastly, what words of encouragement do you have for Black Fathers in America? Keep doing your thing! The percentage of Black fathers that are present in their children’s lives are increasing at a phenomenal rate in today’s day and age vs years ago when we were growing up. Some of us didn’t have fathers in our lives, I didn’t myself, but I believe that motivates us more to be even better for our children. Continue to break the stereotypes, know that you’re not alone, and raise our princes and princesses to be kings and queens.
Jared, thank you for sharing your thoughts on Black Fatherhood with us today! Your words are powerful. BFE family, feel free to follow this brother on Instagram here: @JayomegaSO