For more than 20 years, Terry Lenoir has worked as an advocate for parents to have their voices heard within the Illinois child welfare system.
That journey started with his own “nightmare” in 2001, when the state took custody of his then-girlfriend’s five children, alleging medical neglect of the oldest girl who had high-risk diabetes, Lenoir said. In the years that followed, Lenoir became a fierce advocate for parental rights, becoming chair of the statewide Birth Parent Council and remaining involved in other advocacy work, including as a mentor in Brightpoint’s fatherhood programs.
“One real man can make a difference for his family, for his block, for his community,” said Lenoir, 70, in an interview.
When asked what makes a real man, Lenoir paused only briefly.
“Responsible. Caring. Knowing God. Being able to care for your family.”
Lenoir was among the dozens of fathers, advocates and community partners at Brightpoint’s recent Fatherhood Summit – a day of coalition building on Chicago’s West Side. They gathered to discuss recent data findings from fatherhood focus groups and to brainstorm actionable solutions to challenges facing fathers today.
Most support services are geared toward women, leaving a gap in support for dads that Brightpoint hopes to fill, said Marlo Passmore, program director of fatherhood services for Brightpoint.
“There’s stigma around dads convening to share their experiences and be vulnerable,” Passmore said. “So we’re trying to create spaces for that and expand access to resources so they can be more successful as parents.”
In recent years, Brightpoint has invested increased time and resources in supporting fathers throughout the state. This year, the organization unified several programs, such as Thriving Fathers & Families and Advancing Fathers, under the banner of Brightpoint Fatherhood Services, a statewide array of services that encompasses case management, counseling, coalition building and advocacy.
Now is the time to build momentum around this work and advocate for policies at the local and state levels to support fatherhood support services, said Earl Kloppman, program manager for Parents Care & Share at Brightpoint.
“We believe when fathers thrive, their families will thrive and children will thrive,” Kloppman said.
At the summit, groups of attendees rotated through data stations, spending 15 minutes at each stop, grappling with longtime societal challenges that affect fathers and families. One poster, for example, featured unemployment rates for different populations, paired with the focus group finding that fathers need more help connecting to employment.
Slayton Goodman’s eyes landed on one figure in particular – a 30% unemployment rate for the formerly incarcerated. As a case navigator for Brightpoint, Goodman leads a fatherhood group at Cook County Jail.
“Our system is set up to keep us from being gainfully employed,” Goodman said. “How damning that is to not be able to have a second chance.”
Indeed, much of the data reflected decades of systemic racism and disinvestment, particularly on Chicago’s South and West Sides, where inequities in resources have been well-documented but not solved. One startling statistic – Winnebago County, where Rockford is seated, has an even higher poverty rate, 16%, than that of Chicago’s Cook County, 13.3%. Brightpoint’s fatherhood services also serve Winnebago.
Despite such immense challenges, the fathers and advocates dug in for solutions. The room soon filled with the warm, hopeful din of conversation.
At each table, ideas popped like corn: Partnering with a local bank could help provide financial literacy trainings in disinvested communities. Black men might be more likely to access needed mental health resources if they could find them at the local barbershop, Lenoir suggested. A monthlong social media campaign could raise awareness of the power of positive co-parenting.
As he left to pick up a grandchild from school, Lenoir said he felt hopeful but there’s work to be done.
“All of these types of community focus groups are good and valuable, but what do you do with the information you get at the table?” he asked. “Do you put it in a binder or a book, and put it in a drawer? Or do you implement it? Implementation is the key.”