Togetherness & Belonging (Are Black fathers absent?)

The Fifteenth episode of the S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys Podcast that explores 1 of the 8 Pillars of Happiness - Togetherness & Belonging, as it pertains to Black boys and the myth of the absent Black father. In this episode, I explore the statistics with nuance and engage in the underlying systems and factors that make for skewed perspectives in the political discourse on this topic.

The host, Kay Rufai ( https://www.instagram.com/universoulartist/ ) explores using his happiness research from the top 5 happiest countries ( You can download the report here; https://mailchi.mp/faddab9bb9a1/pdf-delivery ), historical and contemporary data, anecdotes and live accounts from the boys.

This episode features  audio from young black boys who have participated in the S.M.I.L.E-ing. Boys Project in the last 18 months exploring their honest responses to the idea of role models and presence or lack-thereof of fathers in their lives.

Read the Guardian opinion piece about Kay Rufai and his work on challenging stereotypes of Black boys in the society (https://www.theguardian.com/global/2020/mar/18/photographs-black-teenage-boys-prejudice-stereotypes )

Check out the Guardian Photo Gallery of the S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys Project 

( https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2020/mar/18/portraits-black-teenagers-south-london-mental-health )