Tony Franklin is the senior mentor for the Steve Harvey Mentoring Program, which teaches manhood 101 principles to young men across the country. Franklin is in the field, and sees firsthand the impact of fatherhood with children and young adults. At every visit, he sees individuals that need guidance and that father-figure presence.
"My most memorable moment with my daughters is the first time they both said ‘Daddy’
“What’s needed is guidance. Someone they can talk to. Someone they are comfortable with. If I’m that presence for them, I’m doing my job”, says Franklin.
According to the US Census Bureau, out of the 12 million single parent families in 2013, more than 80% were headed by single mothers.
“With taking the statistics, us as men and fathers we need to be fathers to our children, and try to eliminate the perceptions of black fathers”, says Franklin.
Franklin is a father of two daughters. A huge smile comes to his faces as he remembers when they began to speak. “My most memorable moment with my daughters is the first time they both said ‘Daddy’. So each and every day continues to grow in a capacity to enjoy fatherhood”, says Franklin.
