Black Fathers Matter: The Art Born From a Broken Relationship

What happens when a man who grew up without his dad in the house turns that into art, and into the father he wants to be for his own son? AJ sits down with Brooklyn visual artist Dáreece Walker, creator of the Black Fathers Matter series, to talk about Black fatherhood, presence, and the legacy you build one choice at a time. Dáreece grew up between Colorado and Nebraska, where his dad wasn't in the home and didn't come back into his life until his early teens. He talks about rebuilding that relationship, what he still picked up from his father, and why he decided to raise his son differently. He and AJ also compare growing up in DC and out West with raising kids in New York today. In this episode: - Why Dáreece created Black Fathers Matter while working through his relationship with his own father - Why he draws on cardboard, and what that material says about the Black American experience - What he learned from his dad's love language, his music, and the small ways he paid attention - How photographing fathers with their kids changed the way he parents - Why fatherhood for him is about leadership, presence, and accountability, not control - The legacy he wants to leave: a foundation his son can build on Dáreece Walker is a visual artist whose work has been featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post. One of his Black Fathers Matter pieces is in the permanent collection of the Yale University Art Gallery. See more of his work: dareecejwalker.com