The stereotype of the absent Black dad remains quite ubiquitous in popular culture. It often takes the form of a dysfunctional family unit, but in recent years, studies have proven that the stereotype is nothing more than a myth. That legend is further vaporized in the new children’s book, “I Love My Daddy,” by Maryland social worker and military veteran Juanita Banks Whittington.
“My father was a man of humble beginnings who worked hard to provide for eight children,” said author Nonkululeko Kunene Adumentey, adding that it was his conditional love, wisdom, and work ethic that inspired the core of her principles and life mottos. He also inspired her to appreciate the various skin tones found in Africans throughout the world.
During the intimate video-taped interview inside the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the two visionaries also tackled topics that ranged from the Transatlantic Slave Trade, their shared North Carolina families’ histories, the writing legacy of author James Baldwin, and the contemporary vitality of the Black Press of America.