‘You guys are myth busters’
Dovetail Project celebrates 21st graduating class of young Black and Latino fathers
“I was a hurt baby.” Sheldon Smith founded the Dovetail Project when he was 21 because he wanted things to be different. His father was in and out of his life, and his father’s father wasn’t around either.
“I was a broken child,” he said. “I wanted to be able to break the curse of kids being hurt.”
On June 10, the Dovetail Project held its annual completion ceremony to recognize and celebrate the young fathers who just finished the organization’s 12-week course.
The Dovetail Project is a nonprofit fatherhood initiative intended to have an impact on “two generations at once,” through mentorship and teaching of three main categories — parenting skills, life skills and felony street law — to Black and Latino fathers aged 17 to 24. It is the largest fatherhood initiative in the country, according to the project’s website.
“As a father, you’re never too old to learn, but ... continue being a teacher,” Smith told the young men. “You’ll save these children out here, you’ll save these babies. Don’t allow this society or these neighborhoods to suck them in because they’re vulnerable.”
Director Vernon Owens began his work with the program in 2012 when Smith reached out to him for help. He started seeing that the young fathers “lacked support,” which compelled him to get even more involved.
“I viewed them as my children,” Owens said. “It was the best decision that I’ve made . ... I can actually say that I’m valued here.”
The program, Owens said, is able to reach community members because it is “literally in the community.” It’s based on the South Side, where it
holds outreach initiatives and engages with community members regularly. The program is well-regarded in the community, according to Owens, which allows it to have a broader impact..
Dovetail Project aims to challenge common stereotypes surrounding Black and Latino men and fatherhood. It teaches a curriculum that goes beyond basic fatherhood classes, training young men to understand the systems that disadvantage them and how to avoid entanglement in the criminal justice system, as well as how to navigate family law, according to Smith.
It aims to break cycles of poverty and family fractures that plague Black and brown communities. It is, in its very essence, a “lifesaving business,” as Smith put it.
“You guys are myth busters,” Owens said to the young men. “There’s so much negativity going on
in the streets, man, it’s sickening. Every time you put on the news, it’s something about ‘somebody got shot, somebody got robbed.’
“The stereotype they see about Black men — there’s always something negative. So we wanted to put out something positive.”
He spoke of the legacy these men are leaving, not just for themselves, but for their children following them.
“I want you guys to take what you learned here and pay it forward,” Owens said to the young men.
Since its founding 12 years ago, over 500 young fathers have graduated from the program. Canceled last year due to COVID-19 and condensed this year to only eight participants from its usual 60 in the fall and 60 in the spring, the program last year instead distributed supplies to young fathers in need in the community through its Fatherhood
Relief Fund.
A variety of sponsors help support the program, including big names such as the Chicago Bulls, Nike and Amazon.
The impact of the program does not end when fathers graduate — various events bring alumni together and allow older participants to talk to the younger dads, serving as big brothers. One alumnus is Adrian Padilla, who addressed the graduating class at the ceremony, assuring them they always “have a brother” in him.
Dovetail recognizes the importance of an ongoing support network, and Smith urged the young men to continue reaching out for support and advice.
“We know it takes a family to raise a child,” he said. “We know it takes a village to raise a community. We are that village. We are that pillar in this city.”
Some of these young men were clad in caps and gowns for the first time, signifying the end of a period of tremendous growth and discipline, as well as the beginning of a journey in which they now feel “more informed” on the ins and outs of fatherhood.
“I didn’t graduate (college). I graduated a program to make me a better father, a better man,” said Dovetail participant Michael Watkins, 24. “I feel empowered.
“I appreciate these men taking the time out to help us, the age that’s supposed to be unhelpable. We’re looked down on so much, but we are the future and they invested this time in us, so I got to show out.”
The moment Watkins found out he would be a father, he immediately thought of his child’s needs and began looking for houses.
“He got to have a car, have a nice house, a nice room,” Watkins said, then he took a moment. “There’s just so much I didn’t get to have as a kid, and just to be able to put that in his life makes me happy.”
When asked what he would like to say to his child, Watkins replied with a laugh: “You see what your daddy done? So show me what you gonna do. I love you. I can’t wait to see the man you’re gonna become.”
The Dovetail Project makes sure young dads know they are not alone, that they are valued, that the program’s doors are “always open,” Smith said.
By equipping Dovetail dads with a supportive community, the program coordinators ensure that the children of these dads are taken care of. Children with fathers in their life are 75% less likely to become young parents themselves, 80% less likely to spend time in jail and 43% more likely to earn A’s, according to Dovetail’s website. They are also less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, and more likely to live healthier lives.
Smith started the program at age 21 to break the cycle of absent fathers: “It’s a mean cycle, right? Y’all here today breaking it.”
Another one of the young men breaking the cycle is Eddie Smith, 23, described by Owens as a great learner and a great father. When he first had his son, there were plenty of moments in which Smith thought, “Man, my life is over.” However, he was “overwhelmed with excitement and joy” on the day of the ceremony, which was also the day his son turned 10 months old.
Smith found the program online last year and said, beaming, it has taught him “things that he couldn’t learn from his father” and will help him be a better dad “not only for his son but his future kids” as well.
Though this year’s graduating class was small, the impact was anything but and could be felt through the reflections, tears and jubilations in the ceremony room that day. Owens called up the fathers one by one, sharing a brief tribute to each one’s character, personality and accomplishments.
DeAndre Lloyd, of Riverdale, has “defied the odds.” Jeremi McCormick is a computer whiz. Dontarius Morgan is calm and cool in demeanor but “gets out there and puts in work.” Derrick Smith is mature for his age — an “old soul.”
The ceremony ended with music, dancing and laughter as the young dads held up their diplomas and posed for photos together.
“I’m just proud,” Watkins said. “I’m proud of everybody.”