Terris Todd: Fatherhood in Black America

Just before Father’s Day, The Washington Stand published a commentary by Project 21‘s Terris Todd in which Terris describes how he broke a generational pattern in his family in order to do right by his own children:

For many black families, this holiday is not just a time of reflection, but a reminder of absence. Still, it doesn’t have to remain that way. Now is the time for reconnection. Fathers, your children need you. I know this because I once was that child.

Years later, I had a family of my own — three beautiful daughters — and I realized I needed to be the present father that wasn’t always there for me. I knew that living by my mantra, “just being there,” would make all the difference in their lives.

Read Terris’s entire commentary below.

I recently had the honor of joining the National Center for Public Policy Research’s Project 21 black leadership network as director of coalitions and outreach. While our mission continues to center on amplifying diverse black conservative voices across today’s most critical issues, we’ve placed a renewed focus on one that underpins so many others: fatherhood.

Terris Todd

The presence of engaged fathers is one of the most powerful predictors of a child’s success. Research shows that children with involved fathers are significantly more likely to earn better grades, avoid incarceration, and steer clear of substance abuse.

America First Policy Institute reports that, with more than 18 million fatherless children in the United States, our country has the highest rate of children living in single-parent homes than in any nation in the world. This is a generational crisis, and we must find solutions to turn the ship. Strengthening fatherhood ties and creating public policy promoting the family must be a national priority.

One step in that direction came in January, when President Donald Trump signed an executive order expanding educational freedom and opportunity for families. The order affirms parents, stating that they — not the government — play the primary role in shaping their children’s future, including their education and values.

Likewise, at Project 21, we believe strengthening families — and emphasizing the importance of fatherhood — is key to building safer communities, closing achievement gaps, and securing a brighter future for the next generation. The list is endless.

With Father’s Day approaching on June 15, we can’t wait to celebrate! But this year, we also have a chance to help countless fathers shift the narrative.

While fatherlessness is especially pronounced in the black community, its impact reaches across all of America. For many black families, this holiday is not just a time of reflection, but a reminder of absence. Still, it doesn’t have to remain that way. Now is the time for reconnection. Fathers, your children need you. I know this because I once was that child.

Years later, I had a family of my own — three beautiful daughters — and I realized I needed to be the present father that wasn’t always there for me. I knew that living by my mantra, “just being there,” would make all the difference in their lives.

Parenting young adults doesn’t eliminate life’s concerns, but there is a deep sense of peace that comes from watching your children embrace the values and principles you’ve instilled — responsibility, character, and purpose. It’s a reassurance that your presence mattered and the years of investment were worth it.

While feminist groups would rather have it their way, the holy scriptures remind us in the book of Ephesians 6:1-3, “Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with the promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

In their decades-long effort to remove fathers from the nuclear family, the price we have paid is evident and has been nothing short of devastating throughout our nation and the world.

Fathers, this Father’s Day, give your children the gift of your presence. Call them. Visit them. Apologize if you need to. Show up, even if it’s inconvenient. It’s never too late to make it right — and your presence may be what adds years to their lives and yours.

Happy Father’s Day!

Terris E. Todd is director of Coalitions & Outreach for the Project 21 black leadership network, having served in the federal government, as an advisor for a leading think tank, as a member of the clergy, as an author, as a podcast host, and in local politics. He is married and has three daughters. This was first published at The Washington Stand.