Fathers Incorporated (FI) has an established history of effectively mobilizing communities, particularly fathers and men of color, in various forms of civic engagement, including voter registration and participation.
While FI's primary mission has centered on fatherhood advocacy and community building, it has ventured into the civic realm through strategic campaigns. A case in point is the "Black Dads Count" initiative, which aimed to ensure that Black fathers were accurately represented in the 2020 U.S. Census.
This campaign successfully used social and multimedia platforms to reach thousands, contributing to a more accurate census count and, by extension, affecting resource allocation and representation.
Civic Engagement
One of FI's notable accomplishments in civic engagement was its involvement in the Million Fathers March (MFM), an annual event since 2004. Although primarily an educational initiative, the MFM also includes civic and voter education components. The 2019 MFM saw participation from schools in 81 cities and 26 states, involving community organizations, government agencies, and local businesses.
Fathers Incorporated has been at the forefront of voter registration and civic engagement efforts for over 15 years, with a particular focus on empowering Black fathers in Hard to Count communities. Our flagship campaign, "Black Dads Count," serves as a testament to our effectiveness in engaging this population. In this campaign alone, we conducted 10 events that directly engaged 2,770 participants. In addition, we successfully built an online community, the Black Dads Count Facebook Group, which garnered 2,207 members, who made 1,453 posts and comments, receiving 13,568 reactions—all within the year 2020.
Our efforts extend beyond these numbers, as we've been consistently collaborating with community organizations, religious groups, and local governments to maximize our impact. Through partnerships with organizations like Fair Count, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, and United Way of Metro Atlanta, we've been able to expand our reach and multiply the effectiveness of our campaigns. These partnerships have allowed us to engage in various events such as the Black Men Speak Series, Virtual Townhalls, and Fair Count Bus tours, further amplifying our voice and reach.
Notably, we have been invited by the U.S. Census to be a national partner, primarily focusing on Black Dads and their families in Hard to Count communities. This acknowledgment from a federal organization speaks volumes about our track record and effectiveness in civic engagement efforts.
