It is officially Black Girl Dad Week!
TheGrio...
Black Girl Dad Week has officially kicked off in participating cities around the US, celebrating Black daughters and the men who raise them.
Father’s Day may have just wrapped, but the celebration of Black fathers is far from over.
Black Girl Dad Week is underway through Sunday, June 28, honoring the fathers and father figures who pour into Black girls while creating room for the men who love them to be supported, affirmed and equipped, too.
“Black Girl Dad Week recognizes the essential role that Black fathers play in supporting Black women and girls while creating opportunities for healing, learning, accountability, and celebration,” Jewel Woods, founder of the week, said in a release.
“Democracy works best when people are informed, engaged, and empowered. This event is about ensuring that our community understands both the challenges we face and the opportunities we have to shape our future,” he continued. “Strong families build strong communities.”
Launched in February 2023 in Columbus, Ohio, Black Girl Dad Week is a seven-day celebration and gathering built around a simple truth: Black girls deserve to see their fathers and father figures celebrated for the care, protection, guidance and love they bring to their lives.
Woods, the founder and clinical director of Male Behavioral Health and a father of two daughters and a son, created the week to bring fathers, stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, brothers and other father figures together for seminars, fireside chats and panels that explore the many forces shaping Black family life. The week ends with a father-daughter dance.
Black Girl Dad Week makes space for the whole picture. With support from Google, the City of Columbus and other partners, its programming reaches beyond fatherhood to Black mental health, Black male mental health, Black love, couples, family therapy and the realities that can shape how fathers show up for their children.
“Black Girl Dad Week recognizes the foundational role that healthy Black relationships play in fostering strong families and communities,” the release explained.
“Central to this celebration is the promotion of Black Love and the importance of intentional moments, such as Date Night, in supporting and strengthening Black relationships,” Woods continued. “By prioritizing time together, couples can build deeper connections, navigate challenges more effectively, and set positive examples for younger generations.”
It is also a direct challenge to the old, damaging story that Black fathers are absent, disengaged or incapable of nurturing deep bonds with their daughters.
In an interview with the Columbus Dispatch ahead of the inaugural week, Woods said, “I really think that this is an opportunity for the city to really change the narrative about some of the issues and types of stories around Black males.”
Columbus Urban League President and CEO Stephanie Hightower told the same outlet that the week gives those relationships the recognition they deserve.
“This week is really about celebrating the supportive fathers and their impact on their daughters’ self-esteem, academics and life success,” she said. “For years, our Father 2 Father initiative has disproved the fallacy that Black fathers don’t play a critical role in child development and family stability. We’re excited to partner with Male Behavioral Health and Jewel in this effort to create memories that will last a lifetime while showcasing the important father-daughter relationship.”
This year, the week opened with a fireside chat featuring Roland Martin and U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty on the state of Black America. Tuesday’s programming focuses on marriage and family therapy, including navigating divorce, while Friday’s Call to Men event addresses domestic violence prevention and awareness.
The gathering also reflects what research has found about the power of a strong father-daughter relationship. A supportive father can influence a girl’s self-esteem, academic and career path, and the relationships she carries into adulthood.
“The presence of supportive fathers in a daughter’s life can have a huge impact on a girl’s self-esteem, academic and career success, and relationships,” Woods said. “Black Girls & Black Women want and need Fathers & Partners in their lives.”
Daughters shape fathers, too.
“We become better. We become healthier. The research shows when fathers are absolutely pouring into their children, particularly daughters, they end up benefiting physically, emotionally, psychologically,” Woods told NBC 4 when discussing the week in 2024. “So the other added benefit of this is actually seeing healing happen in real-time.
What began in Columbus has grown into a multi-city observance recognized in Detroit, Chicago, Flint, Toledo, and Nashville. It takes a village to raise Black girls, and Woods is helping ensure that fathers and father figures in that village have what they need to stand tall in it.