Color Him Father: Stories of Love and Rediscovery of Black Men is an illuminating collection of true and candid short stories about Black men. The authors seek to counter negative images and stereotypes by sharing intimate and loving stories from sons, daughters, grandchildren, relatives, and friends of the Black fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and mentors who are responsible, committed, and productive role models. What emerges is an inspirational message of hope that comes from living, breathing examples of positive African American fathers and other Black male role models. The book includes a Foreword by Haki Madhubuti and words of support from Dr. Cornel West.
This wonderful collection of thirty-five essays, published in 2006, and co-edited by Stephana I. Colbert and Valerie I. Harrison began as a means of helping Ms. Harrison cope with the loss of her own father. What it grew into was an anthology in praise of great African-American fathers… and of Black Fatherhood. In choosing the 1969 song by The Winstons, Color Him Father, as a source for the book’s title, they not only set the tone, but wound up rediscovering the Grammy Award-winning song’s writer–Richard L. Spencer, Jr.–who is now a high school teacher, and a proud father himself.
Although the fathers in this collection of stories vary greatly: some were prosperous, while most were working class; some were raucous, while others were stoic, some were disciplinarians, while others were more like big siblings to their children. All of them receive glowing praise from their children. In fact, anyone who didn’t have a father like these may read these essays with the occasional pang of jealousy!
The collection’s foreword by Dr. Haki Madhubuti asserts why great African-American fathers are so necessary (“Children are a people’s investment in themselves, they are not to be taken lightly or for granted.”), and suggests six aspects of effective parenting that parents (but especially fathers) can incorporate into their families for success.
The seeds planted by the fathers in this collection have borne some very sweet fruit: six of the essayists are now attorneys/judges; six more are business executives; seven are educators; and eight are authors, poets and/or playwrights. In addition, some of the essayists have worn multiple hats in their professional careers.
Siblings Venise and S. Torriano Berry provide two quite different, but ultimately complimentary remembrances of their father Virgil: a hard-working man with a robust personality and a warm sense of humor, who was still a stranger to his children in many ways. The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr. (yes, that one!) provides a short, but humorous tale about a young man’s childish mischief, the cost of disobedience, and the depths of a father’s love. In My Favorite Green Dress and A Promise for the Seasons, the editors reflect–with humor and melancholy, respectively–on the remarkable fathers that prompted this work in the first place. As the first line of the foreword states: “Responsible fathers matter.”
I cannot recommend this book highly enough, both for the fathers in your life and the fathers-yet-to-be, but also for anyone who has to serve as a mentor to or inspiration for young Black men, and as a gift to yourself.
While Color Him Father is presently available only on a limited scale, it is well worth the effort to find.
Rated 5 out of 5
Dr. Judith A. B. Lee –
An Important And Redeeming Book
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2006
This collection of essays about Black fathers has been long in the coming. It celebrates men who have achieved and accomplished beyond the odds, though not all are famous. The meaning of the book lies in capturing the virtues and strengths of ordinary and extraordinary men, and sharing it with us. The best essays are shared from the heart as well as from the memory of the writer. In attempting to get a range of tributes, some are too short. But all contribute to our understanding and to our knowledge. Any unevenness in the work wrought by many different authors is overcome in the sincerity and poignancy of the collection. This work is well worth reading, and understanding.
Kevin A. Stanley –
Kevin A. Stanley
5.0 out of 5 stars ‘Color Him Father’ takes pride in positive African-American male role models!
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2008
This wonderful collection of thirty-five essays, published in 2006, and co-edited by Stephana I. Colbert and Valerie I. Harrison began as a means of helping Ms. Harrison cope with the loss of her own father. What it grew into was an anthology in praise of great African-American fathers… and of Black Fatherhood. In choosing the 1969 song by The Winstons, Color Him Father, as a source for the book’s title, they not only set the tone, but wound up rediscovering the Grammy Award-winning song’s writer–Richard L. Spencer, Jr.–who is now a high school teacher, and a proud father himself.
Although the fathers in this collection of stories vary greatly: some were prosperous, while most were working class; some were raucous, while others were stoic, some were disciplinarians, while others were more like big siblings to their children. All of them receive glowing praise from their children. In fact, anyone who didn’t have a father like these may read these essays with the occasional pang of jealousy!
The collection’s foreword by Dr. Haki Madhubuti asserts why great African-American fathers are so necessary (“Children are a people’s investment in themselves, they are not to be taken lightly or for granted.”), and suggests six aspects of effective parenting that parents (but especially fathers) can incorporate into their families for success.
The seeds planted by the fathers in this collection have borne some very sweet fruit: six of the essayists are now attorneys/judges; six more are business executives; seven are educators; and eight are authors, poets and/or playwrights. In addition, some of the essayists have worn multiple hats in their professional careers.
Siblings Venise and S. Torriano Berry provide two quite different, but ultimately complimentary remembrances of their father Virgil: a hard-working man with a robust personality and a warm sense of humor, who was still a stranger to his children in many ways. The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr. (yes, that one!) provides a short, but humorous tale about a young man’s childish mischief, the cost of disobedience, and the depths of a father’s love. In My Favorite Green Dress and A Promise for the Seasons, the editors reflect–with humor and melancholy, respectively–on the remarkable fathers that prompted this work in the first place. As the first line of the foreword states: “Responsible fathers matter.”
I cannot recommend this book highly enough, both for the fathers in your life and the fathers-yet-to-be, but also for anyone who has to serve as a mentor to or inspiration for young Black men, and as a gift to yourself.
While Color Him Father is presently available only on a limited scale, it is well worth the effort to find.
Dr. Judith A. B. Lee –
An Important And Redeeming Book
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2006
This collection of essays about Black fathers has been long in the coming. It celebrates men who have achieved and accomplished beyond the odds, though not all are famous. The meaning of the book lies in capturing the virtues and strengths of ordinary and extraordinary men, and sharing it with us. The best essays are shared from the heart as well as from the memory of the writer. In attempting to get a range of tributes, some are too short. But all contribute to our understanding and to our knowledge. Any unevenness in the work wrought by many different authors is overcome in the sincerity and poignancy of the collection. This work is well worth reading, and understanding.