Marvyn Harrison
Harrison is the founder of Dope Black Dads, a digital and real-world safe space where men can discuss what it means to be black, a father and a man in the modern world. He hosts a podcast of the same name.
“There have been occasions when I’ve had to leave the [Dope Black Dads] space. There have been times when I’ve been at a loss, and all my skills have been used and depleted, trying to get the best for this group of men, with whom I now have a deep affinity. I definitely have days when I’m challenged, but I have tools in place to catch those things. “When my son mirrors me now, he mirrors the parts of me that I desperately wanted him to take: the parts I can see in him, like the strength, the kindness, the ability to rebound. I wish I’d been that kind at four. “The other day, we had a wedding and he got a suit. He loves this suit; he wears it all the time. [Later] he took the jacket off, placed it on a coathanger and just started washing up. I was looking at this little boy being an adult, because that’s what he sees me do. That’s what I want for my kids. “Hopefully, one day, we won’t need a group focused on black fatherhood, or the intersections of being black and a male parent. We can just have a dope dads’ space. But, based on the last [few months], we’re not there yet.”