President Obama Creates Fathers Mentoring Program

President Barack Obama, the world’s most famous dad, has initiated a mentoring program that will cater to the development of children and their fathers. In developing the Health and Human Services Initiative called “Fatherhood Buzz,” Obama reached out to the urban communities, including local barbershops, to fuel his initiative.

Just in time for Father’s Day, too.

Obama’s decision to highlight the thoughts and ideas of local dads gives the everyday father an unprecedented national voice.

The President began the development of his mentor initiative with a private barbecue dinner, according to the Huffington Post. The Commander In Chief invited two barbers to Capitol Hill to indulge in barbecued ribs, collard greens and corn bread. Two men from the military joined the professional stylists, sharing their advice on the role of fathers as well. Obama expressed to his guests the importance of taking responsibility for children, and said that “barbershops are a good place” to start doing so.
Barbershop conversation focuses on male-dominated issues – like sports, women and current events. But the President said parenting can be a part of the discussions.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top