15 Jun 2026 Black Conservatives Recognize the Vital Role of Fathers and Father Figures

This Father’s Day, the Project 21 black leadership network is celebrating the vital role fathers and father figures play in strengthening families and communities with a new publication, “What Fatherhood Means for Black America.”

For Black America  — and all America — fatherhood is about more than providing a paycheck — it’s about presence, purpose and passing down values that strengthen families for generations.

In Project 21’s new publication, black conservatives argue that strong fathers help cultivate responsibility, discipline, faith, resilience and economic opportunity. They contend that many of the challenges facing black communities today cannot be solved by government programs alone, but require restoring and strengthening the family unit.

The message is simple: when fathers are present and engaged, everyone benefits.

The publication can be perused here or downloaded as a pdf here.

To celebrate the publication’s release, several Project 21 ambassadors are sharing how their own fathers and father figures have made a lasting impact in their lives.

 

 

P. Rae Easley, Project 21 Ambassador:

My daddy, Ray Easley, was a logical man with high intelligence and strong determination. He was raised by a single mother on the west side of Chicago and managed to earn a degree in history without ever earning a mug shot. He met my mother at 12 years old and married her at 25, and had me — their first child, Patricia Rae — on their fifth wedding anniversary and named me after both of them.

Every day of my life was a history lecture on American history, specifically the Civil War, World War II, geopolitics and Chicago machine history. My daddy is the reason that I believe in this country and the dream that our ancestors promised to us.

Ray Easley was not only a father to my brothers and me, but to our community. The City of Chicago will be honoring his memory in a few weeks with an 8-foot bronze statue that will be unveiled in our community.

Daddies like mine can only be created in the United States of America, the greatest country in the world, watered by Lake Michigan and curated on Chicago sidewalks.

 

Horace Cooper, Project 21 Chairman:

To speak about the life of Jay A. Parker is to speak about an exemplary man who modeled for me courage, discipline and determination. He was more than just a role model—he was the one constant, steady presence in Washington, D.C. who showed me what it truly means to be a caring, resilient and honorable human being.

Growing up in South Philly, Jay demonstrated what a person can accomplish if they set their mind to an objective. He realized then that deprivation and poverty were more mindset than anything. He strived to reach higher and higher, and largely he did.

Back in the 60s, he was well-known on talk radio, and was such a regular he’d be flown on a small plane to appear on radio shows in person. Although he worked as an insurance salesman, he later cohosted a popular Philadelphia talk show called “Left, Right and Center,” where he represented the conservative viewpoint.

As the Pennsylvania state chairman for Young Americans for Freedom, he learned early on about the importance of being a role model. Consequently, without a hectoring approach, he instead had a unique way of teaching life lessons to young men — walking out success right in front of them. When I reflect on many of my achievements today, I can look back and see Jay Parker sitting down with me over cigars and talking me through the challenges I faced.

He didn’t just talk; he walked the walk. As the advisory board chairman for the Salvation Army of Washington, D.C., he modeled the importance of service to others.

He was a fount of kindness and counsel, and He taught me the value of tenacity even if the odds seemed insurmountable. He believed in me even when I struggled to believe in myself, patiently molding my worldview and instilling in me the confidence to navigate the world. I still carry the echoes of his voice and the wisdom of his advice in every major decision I make.

I am so deeply grateful for the time we shared, the sacrifices he made and the patience he showed throughout the time I knew him. While the world may have known him as a “founding father” of the modern black conservative movement in America, I had the profound privilege of knowing him as my guiding light.

Jay may no longer be here to walk beside me, but the lessons he imparted and modeled for me are woven into the very fabric of who I am. I will spend the rest of my life honoring his memory by striving to be the kind of person he believed I could be. Thank you, Jay, for showing up for me, and for being a great father figure. You will forever be in my heart.

 

Emery McClendon, Project 21 Ambassador:

My father, William F. McClendon, was a great positive role model in my life. He taught me a strong work ethic and showed me how to always assume responsibility for my actions while striving to be the best.

He served in the U.S. Army, and taught me what patriotic service means. I followed in his footsteps and served in the U.S. Air Force.

He always encouraged me to succeed and to be proud of my achievements. Because of his mentoring, I have been able to be the same father figure to my three sons.

 

Kathleen Wells, Project 21 Ambassador:

My father, Delawrence Wells, was the best father a daughter could ever have:

• Dependable — I could always count on him to be there for me, no matter what.
• Straight talker — didn’t mince words, always told it to me straight, pointing out my faults/ weaknesses.
• Unconditional Love — made it explicitly clear, no matter what I went through in these streets, I always had a home.
• Intelligent — told me to always keep an open mind.

Listening to black Americans talk over the years, I’ve noticed one word is often missing: wisdom. Black America, as a whole, lacks wisdom and common sense because Black America, as a whole, lacks fathers.

Daddy told me intelligent people always have an open mind. Black America’s mind is closed; she is convinced, despite all the evidence and data, that rolling with the Left is the right thing to do, that Trump and America are racists and that black Americans should focus all their energy on slavery and racism and nothing more. That’s unwise.

I miss you, Daddy, and think of you everyday.

 

Terris Todd, Project 21 Director of Coalitions and Outreach:

My grandfather, Edward James Todd, played a major role in my life. He demonstrated his faith in God, love for his family and country and belief that hard work always wins.

My two older brothers, Anthony and Daron Todd, Sr., were also instrumental in my life. Although they were not my father or grandfather, they were true examples of how to persevere through tough times and always ensured I was protected from bad people and poor decisions.

Through it all, God has blessed me with great men in my life who guided me along the way, making me the best father I can be for my children today. Fatherhood matters!

 

Dr. Linda Lee Tarver, Project 21 Ambassador:

My father has been with the Lord for many years, but God graciously placed another father figure in my life: Pastor Henry Childs. Though he lives in Georgia and I live in Michigan, his impact on my life has been profound.

Although I was the youngest of ten children, my father had a special way of making me feel seen, valued and loved. He spoke words of encouragement, gave wise counsel and faithfully kept my name before the Lord in prayer. Pastor Childs carries that same fatherly spirit today.

For years, he has quietly prayed for me, encouraged me and strengthened my faith through countless messages, phone calls and words of wisdom. His recent reminder — “If God be for us, who can be against us?” — was yet another example of how he consistently points me back to God’s promises.

Pastor Childs embodies the fatherly example described in 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12, “encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God.” He is a pastor, preacher, shepherd and spiritual father among fathers. His faithful investment in my life has been a blessing beyond measure, and I am deeply grateful for his love, prayers and steadfast encouragement.

 

Curtis T. Hill, Jr., Project 21 Ambassador:

My father, Curtis T. Hill, Sr., was the smartest man I ever knew. My father was the most courageous man I ever knew.

He was always where I needed him to be. He was my light in the darkness. And yet he gave me room to find my own way.

My father was my hero.

 

David L. Lowery, Jr., Project 21 Ambassador:

My father, David L. Lowery, Sr., was born poor on a black Arkansas plantation. With a third grade education, he stood up for civil rights and made sure that I was well-educated, strong, independent and self-sufficient. His thinking was: How can you get rich working for someone else!?

He taught me to always stand up for righteousness. He was truly a man amongst men, and possessed character, intelligence and something called “mother wits” that you can’t buy in colleges today — or find in men who do not how to be a man!

 

Auriol Sonia Morris, Project 21 Ambassador: 

Other than my wonderful earthly father, the person that comes to mind is Dr. Brian Simmons. As a spiritual father, he not only trusted me to be among the ministers on trips to Nigeria and Ghana but to preach the Gospel in those nations. He was also responsible for my early training in the ministry of the prophetic.

I will never forget my first impression of him when I accidentally ended up in one of their leadership meetings at Gateway Christian Fellowship in West Haven, CT. Although he was leading the meeting, he was the one who offered me a drink. It reminded me of what Jesus said about the greatest leaders: They are the greatest servers.

 

Bishop Garland Hunt, Project 21 Ambassador: 

My father figure, Bishop Wellington Boone, is an evangelical Christian leader, author and founder and chief prelate of the Fellowship of International Churches. I met Boone in 1983 and since that time he has consistently supported, encouraged and equipped me to be a spiritual leader, great husband and effective father. He is not only a spiritual father—he is also a best friend.

Boone has authored numerous books including Black Self-Genocide: What Black Lives Matter Won’t Say and Your Wife is Not Your Momma: How You Can Have Heaven in Your Home.

Boone encourages men to get loud for Jesus by refusing to hide their faith. Boone had this to say to hundreds of men at a recent event: “Somewhere along the way, we learned to tone Jesus down. We traded holy fire for respectability. We get louder about our team, our career, and our culture than we ever get about Jesus Christ. That’s the ‘pride of grace’—looking polished while your devotion goes quiet. Stop hiding Him. Live your faith out loud. Don’t shrink Jesus to fit the room. If you wear your team’s colors, wear His name with even more zeal. When you get serious about God, God gets serious about you.”

 

Jovani Patterson, Project 21 Ambassador:

I must talk about my dad, Melvin C. Patterson. I didn’t understand while I was growing up, but he is the most brilliant man I know. He is always consistent. He’s the same person at home as he is in public or at work. He is a man of integrity, a true leader and humble.

I’m proud to call him my dad and I don’t think the words exist to express what he means to me. I am the man I am today because of him, and I’m still striving to be like that dude.

 

Brandon Brice, Project 21 Ambassador:

My father, retired Michigan Trooper Carl Brice, was a lawman for 30 years.

Law and order was always his philosophy, and he believed in character and integrity.

He is the one person who literally has never broken his word, and he’s my father.

 

Kendall Qualls, Project 21 Ambassador:

The United States desperately needs “Operation Prodigal Son,” a project to restore men’s purpose as providers, protectors and legacy builders in American homes. Why? According to the Pew Research Center, the United States has the highest share of children living in single-parent households among developed nations—more than three times the global average.

I was able to break the cycle with my family, and our organization, TakeCharge, is focused on starting a trend nationwide. I believe that should be the number #1 priority in the black community – reversing the 50-year decline of fatherless homes.

Unfortunately, churches in the black community host more funerals every year than they host weddings.