Empowering Black Dads: Black Men Smile® Joins Forces with The Dad Gang for a Legendary March of Dads in Atlanta
Black Men Smile® creator addresses audience at March of Dads Atlanta sponsored by Wal-Mart
Black Men Smile® is so proud to stand with The Dad Gang to amplify, unite, and empower other Dope Black Dads all across the country. For the second time, Black Men Smile® joined Team Dope Dads to partner with The Dad Gang team to make the March of Dads stop in Atlanta the biggest stop on their tour. Atlanta came alive as hundreds of incredible Black Dads, united by love, pride, and joy marched with their families along the Atlanta Beltline.
GANG! GANG!
This is what it looks like…a whole bunch of Black fathers doing what we do: loving our kids, actively engaging, making mistakes, modeling healthy behavior, being vulnerable, exhibiting strength, showing affection…together at the same time with a whole GANG doing the same. -cm
The Dad Gang was founded in 2017 after Sean Williams received a stranger’s faint praise for being an active black dad while walking through a grocery with his then 1-year-old daughter, the comment sparked a movement that helped build a community of over 50,000 Black fathers with a shared passion for fatherhood and commitment to raising the standard of how Black fathers are perceived. Though marred by a racially driven and media-amplified stigma that has led the world to view Black fathers as widely missing in action, Black dads have continued to thrive. They’ve created a safe space for Black fathers to find camaraderie, share tips and experiences and turn up with their kids and each other a few times a year.
The Dad Gang recognizes and values the strength, resilience, and love that black fathers bring to our families and communities. They aim to tackle the misconception that most Black dads are absent by celebrating our positive impact on our children and highlighting our contributions to society by also creating content, launching community initiatives, hosting events, workshops, and panel discussions that uplift Black fathers and tell our story authentically to build greater awareness and understanding around the unique challenges that Black fathers face. This is the driving force behind The Dad Gang.
With his mission, Sean has fostered partnerships with corporations that stand with The Dad Gang’s initiative to celebrate and support Black fathers such as Walmart, which has helped The Dad Gang since 2021. This year, Walmart joined The Dad Gang on their nationwide tour, expanding the ‘March of Dads’ to Atlanta, D.C., and New Orleans following the New York and Los Angeles marches.
