Name: Damarqio (DK) Williams | City: Detroit | Instagram: @detroitfather

What does being a father mean to you?

Being a father means the world to me, and provides me the ability to create endless possibilities. As a man – I get the opportunity to be both a husband and father – this is such a blessed role and responsibility. Each day I am given the opportunity to show up as a representation of Christ to my wife and daughter. As a father, I am blessed to be part of building the future of my family name and restoring the past generational curses.

Describe your experience with your father growing up and how that impacted you today.

Sometimes there were tears, often there was exuberance, as the 10-year-old boy tried to write letters to an imprisoned father he never really knew. My memories don’t contain images of birthday parties, days at the ballpark or graduations – at least, not with his father in them. And so, like many black boys his age, I sailed through childhood, coasting the tumultuous waves of adolescence, absent of a male figure to guide, as lighthouse, as moral support. His story – all too familiar in the black community – is part of a larger narrative that includes black men and boys stuck in a seemingly endless generational cycle.

What advice would you give others new on their fatherhood journey?

Be patient with yourself and make sure you incorporate self-care into your life. It is impossible to be present and take care of your child(ren) if you are present with yourself first. Also, make every moment matter with your child(ren) on this journey. As a father who has loss two sons, there are so many things that I wish I could have done with them. But each day that you have with your child(ren) must matter.

List 5 Fathers you cosign.

Ken Porter (@portermediagroup), BoStyles (@locspecialist_bo), Dwayne Barnes (@MrIncredibleOne), Gill Ward (@gillroyprod), Kevin Irwin (@KevKnows), and Lynwood Powell (@IAmTimeTravelCredit)