- Senghor and BGCSM have called for Black fathers across the nation to participate and tell their story around fatherhood, and relationships with their children
- Collected stories will be compiled into a compelling coffee table style book that will be unveiled for Father’s Day 2022.
- Additionally, the New York Times bestselling author Shaka Senghor released newest book Letters to the Sons of Society as an examination of the bond between father and sons.
DETROIT – January 19, 2022 – The New York Times bestselling author and Detroit native, Shaka Senghor leads the critical discussion around Black fatherhood with the release of his highly anticipated book Letters to the Sons of Society. In partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan (BGCSM), Senghor launched his national letter writing campaign #MyFatherIsDope to call for letters from fathers to provide the opportunity for them to also share their own letters to their children. The campaign is live and fathers can begin submitting letters at www.myfatherisdope.com.
“When I began writing Letters to the Sons of Society, I was reminded of how important my dad’s letter had been to me, and I wanted to invite other father’s and their children into the sacred experience of sending and receiving letters,” said Shaka Senghor. “The work that the BGCSM team are doing is aligned with my passion as a mentor and a dad. It’s a natural extension of what I believe my purpose is as an ambassador of literature, and social impact investor. “
The #MyFatherIsDope is a national campaign focusing on diverse stories that celebrate the importance of fatherhood from multiple perspectives. The collected letters will be used to develop a signature coffee table book that will be distributed nationally for Father’s Day 2022. All proceeds will go back to support programming, membership and operations for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan.
“Fatherhood is more than a word, and it’s not just biological, father-figures are the cornerstones in the lives of many youth, especially Black and brown youth,” said Shawn H. Wilson, president & CEO of BGCSM. “Collaborating with Shaka to find a way to amplify and encourage the many fathers around the nation is an exciting and impactful experience. We look forward to uplifting the voices of our diverse fathers and hope more will submit their own letters too.”
The campaign will run from January 2022, through June 2022. To submit a letter to your children or even a letter as a father to your own father, submit at www.myfatherisdope.com.
For interview requests please email Antonice.strickland@bgcsm.org
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About Shaka Senghor
Shaka Senghor is a lecturer at universities, a leading voice on criminal justice reform, and the New York Times bestselling author of Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison. Senghor is a former MIT Media Lab Director’s Fellow, a former fellow in the inaugural class of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Community Leadership Network, and a member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100. In the decade since his release from prison, he has started and worked with nonprofits seeking to lift people up, visited the White House, been interviewed by Trevor Noah and Oprah Winfrey, given award-winning TED talks, and tirelessly worked to help create the personal and societal change we need for a more inspired, just, fulfilling future.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan
Founded in 1926, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan (BGCSM) has over 95 years of experience serving youth ages 6-18 by providing a safe, fun place that inspires, while offering high quality programs that provide real-world learning from caring adult mentors. Serving nearly 21,000 youth, families and entrepreneurs annually in Clubs throughout southeastern Michigan, BGCSM works every day to provide a world-class experience, empowering youth to become change agents through economic mobility. By providing high quality youth development programs, BGCSM has reimagined the future of afterschool learning and continues to stay agile and expand to better support the needs of our changing youth, ensuring that they are career, start-up and homeowner ready. To learn more about BGCSM visit www.bgcsm.org and follow us on social media on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!