Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott hosts Fathers’ Stroller Walk to dispel misperceptions of Black fatherhood
TheGrio...
“Black Baltimore fathers have another level of fatherhood swag and this event is a place for us to display that and fellowship with each other,” Mayor Scott told theGrio.
Ahead of Father’s Day, Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott has announced a unique event to bring Black fathers together with their young children in the community.
“Calling all dads, uncles, grandfathers, and father figures,” Mayor Scott captioned with a video announcing his Father’s Stroller Walk scheduled for June 18.
The 42-year-old mayor and father of two shared a video of himself and Baltimore City Councilman Paris Gray pushing strollers down a Baltimore City street.
“Fathers, this is our opportunity, and our chance to step up,” says Scott. “We’re here to show out and show up. Make sure you come out, celebrate the true power of community and fatherhood. So bring your kids, bring your stroller, and their favorite snacks, and we’ll see you at the Father Stroller Walk.”
In a statement to theGrio, Mayor Brandon Scott said, “Black Fathers despite the rumors are more involved with their kids than their counterparts. Black Baltimore fathers have another level of fatherhood swag and this event is a place for us to display that and fellowship with each other.”
Councilman Gray told theGrio, “Fatherhood is one of the greatest honors and privileges of my life. I was blessed to grow up with my father present, so I know firsthand how much that presence can shape a child. And even with my father in my life, there were still other men who helped guide me, challenge me, and shape me into the person I am today.”
The city councilman continued, “Being a dad is not just about the big moments. Most of the time, the big moments are built from the small ones nobody sees. Reading at night, daycare drop-off and pick-up, and the lessons you repeat over and over. The time, the patience, the showing up. Those are the moments fathers carry close to the heart.”
Mayor Scott convening fathers in Baltimore is rare programming for a city that is 59% Black and offers an opportunity to showcase fatherhood, particularly for Black fathers, who for years have faced wrongful perceptions that they are absent from their children’s lives.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Black fathers (70%) who live with their children were most likely to have bathed, dressed, changed, or helped their child with the toilet every day, compared with their white (60%) or Hispanic (45%) counterparts.
Black fathers (78%) were also more likely to eat meals with their children every day compared with white (74%) and Hispanic fathers (64%). And, a higher percentage of Black fathers (27%) took their children to or from activities every day compared with white fathers (20%). Additionally, Black fathers (41%) in the home were also more likely to help their children with homework every day compared with Hispanic (29%) or white (28%) fathers.
The Fathers’ Stroller Walk is also personal for Mayor Scott, who is a father of two toddler children: son Charm, who is 2 years old, and daughter Camden, who turned 1 in March. Scott also has a stepson, Ceron, who is 10 years old.
Scott told The Baltimore Sun of his firstborn son, Charm: “Just seeing him just brought like this joy, endless joy, to me that really I haven’t lost since he’s been here.”
Scott’s wife, Hana Scott, gushed over Scott’s dedication as a father, even as he leads the city of Baltimore.
She told The Sun, “He’s proactive. He anticipates things that I would need or things that we would need to bring out of the house with the baby. I feel like I don’t really have to ask him; he just knows.”
Scott added, “As soon as he gets home, he’s just like, ‘OK, you’ve been with the boys all day, I’m gonna take over.’ I never heard him say like, ‘I’m too tired’ or ‘I need a break.’ He just comes home and gets right into dad mode.”