One of my Man-Making heroes profiled here in the past is Mustafa Mahdi. He runs The Rising Son, Inc. Young Men's Development Center in Jonesboro, Georgia. He is living proof about how one dedicated man, on a wing and a prayer, can have enormous impact on the lives of countless boys in his community. Mustafa and his loyal band of Man-Makers are dealing with the tragic costs of absent or under-involved fathers in boy's lives. That's why it wasn't surprising to get this email from him:
Greetings Brother Earl,
I pray and hope all is well with you and your family. I just had the pleasure of viewing a new video by Hip Hop Artist New York Oil called "Father Father." Take a moment to check it out and listen closely to the words. You will see a wonderful video with some beautiful photographs of fathers with their children.
The video is indeed a thing of beauty. The clip is just below. Fathers are the most powerful Man-Making force on the planet. This video, including the clips of President Obama, is a heart-based call inviting dads to come back home and do what needs to be done.
If the clip doesn't show up, go to this LINK. Let me know what you think.
You can read a note from Mustafa, and learn more about his work at the end of this post.
From Mustafa: We're still here at The Rising Son, Inc. Young Men's Development Center striving to be all that The Most High would have us to be. Now that Clayton County School System has lost it's accreditation we are planning to offer home school tutoring for boys at our center in a few weeks. Keep us in your prayers.
From Me: I don't often endorse, but if you are passionate about Man-Making and have a few bucks laying around, The Rising Son would be a great place to send a donation.
I admit to not being a member of the hip hop generation but this video and its message touched me as much as Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are a Changin" which was the cry of my youth. "Father Father" replaces "Ye Mothers and Fathers" as all generations replace the ones who have gone before and the message is the same. Thanks for sending this Earl
ReplyDeleteI just watched the video and was/am blown away. Of late, being a father to my three has been tough…lots of tension with one in particular. I was feeling pretty down about that and seeing the video was really helpful because I saw the good parts of me in it. I’ve done the best I can, had some notable successes and some equally notable failures, but I did what I could and was present. I realize this video was not supposed to be about me but it was.
ReplyDeleteWhat’s hard is the kid gets to decide, after a while and as time goes by, if they want the father in their life. Other factors, outside influences, come into their lives. My hope and trust is that the early years overcome the negatives.
Anyway, thanks for sending the video. I really needed it as today we gather to celebrate my mother’s 97th birthday and the kid who doesn’t want to be in the room with me will be in the room with me. Higher Power stuff at work today and you are a part of it.