“It is essential to bring voice and visibility to the positive societal impact that Black men have,” said Karlos L. Marshall, director of community impact and innovation for Dayton Metro Library. “Despite widely held misconceptions, we are highly engaged with our families, in the community and within various professional sectors.”
In celebration of Black History Month, the Dayton Daily News is spotlighting each recipient as they share important insights about fatherhood and giving back to the community.
‘I’ve always been on the pay it forward path’
Michael Newsom, fatherhood director for Montgomery County since 2010 and leader of the Montgomery Fatherhood Initiative (MCFI) in Dayton, is grateful first and foremost for the foundation set by his parents, Wayne and Cookie, who have been married 58 years. Wayne, a maintenance worker at Central State University, and Cookie, a middle school teacher, provided a haven of love and stability for Newsom and his younger siblings who grew up in Xenia.
“We weren’t rich but we were rich with a lot of love,” said Newsom, 58. “I’ve always been on the pay it forward path because of my great upbringing. I like to go out into the community and I’m not afraid to take on tough issues or pushback from people.”
As leader of MCFI, Newsom connects fathers with vital services such as legal assistance, employment and parenting classes. MCFI is also active in local courts and school districts as well as various social service organizations. Prior to this role, Newsom served as child support supervisor and outreach coordinator for the Montgomery County Department of Job & Family Services for 10 years. He also partners with Public Health Dayton/Montgomery County to help combat infant mortality by engaging fathers at an earlier stage in their children’s lives through The Every Parent Matters program.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
He particularly embraces the challenge of having frank conversations, especially with those who have been incarcerated.
“I try to make sure fathers understand how serious and important their role is as a father,” Newsom said. “Just making a baby and keeping it moving is detrimental to not only them but our community in general. I always try to be very intentional about that. My role is not necessarily to be a priest — I’m not going to tell them they shouldn’t have premarital sex — but my role is to make sure they know the consequences of having children out of wedlock and what that’s going to look like.”
He also emphasized the benefits of fathers understanding the necessity of children having two involved parents.
“The statistics are overwhelming about how well you grow up or the challenges you face, etc. if you have two involved parents versus if you don’t,” Newsom said. “But it’s also important to tell them that Montgomery County has a lot of helpful resources such as the Montgomery County Office of Re-entry. Any good programming is going to hold the fathers accountable. If you’re someone that is worthy of having visitation with your child, we will fight for you. But you can’t just walk in and not put any effort into it yourself and expect us to do everything for you. It’s not a sustainable plan.”
‘It’s very hard to do something if you don’t really know what it looks like or what it’s supposed to be’
When assessing some of the stigmas associated Black fatherhood, Newsom said he would like to change the narrative about Black fathers not wanting to spend time with their children or even wanting to be a father.
“In the vast majorities of situations, the fathers haven’t been shown how to be fathers because they didn’t have good fathers themselves,” he said. “It’s very hard to do something if you don’t really know what it looks like or what it’s supposed to be. And a lot of it also has to do with self-esteem. Many of our fathers, especially those who are non-custodial parents or who have been incarcerated or are not too well off financially in general, they feel like they don’t have anything to bring to the table. But we remind them that their role as the biological father cannot be replaced. Father-figures are great — stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, etc. — and we thank them so much for all the great work they do but biological fathers are always valuable and needed for their children.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
As part of his current position Newsom is a panelist on Judge Walter H. Rice’s Federal Re-entry Court, co-chair of the Montgomery County Office of Reentry’s Community and Family Engagement Subcommittee, and chairperson of such annual events as Montgomery County Fatherhood Summit, “We the Fathers…” Fatherhood Banquet and Celebrate Fatherhood Montgomery County.
This year’s Fatherhood Summit happens Jan. 29 at Sinclair Community College. Special guests include Kimberly Dent, executive director of the Ohio Commission on Fatherhood, and the aforementioned Rice.
“Our brand is about inclusion and we want others to be inclusive of us,” Newsom said. “It’s a great opportunity for our service providers, allowing them to know how they can serve fathers better and tell them who we are and how we can help. It’s a great opportunity to share resources.”
A former wide receiver at Wittenberg University, Newsom holds a bachelor of arts degree from Wittenberg, a master of public administration degree from Wright State University and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Dayton.
He is also married and has two children. He lives in Englewood with his wife, Jane, and has a 22-year-old son, Julian, and a 33-year-old married daughter, Marrisa. He also has two grandsons and a granddaughter.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
As a father, he most values consistency, being loving and resiliency.
“My dad was there every day — knowing your dad is there for you means so much,” Newsom said. “Along with consistency, being loving and nurturing is important. This generation of fathers is so much better in tune to (showing love) than my generation and my parents’ generation. These young guys are in touch with their feelings and they don’t mind sharing them. And you have to be resilient. When you’re a parent, you can’t give up. Parenting in general is tough work. So, you have to be ready for the ups and down and stay in the game all the time.”
Looking back on his Flowers for Fathers recognition, he hopes the acknowledgement brings more positive awareness to Black fatherhood in the Dayton community.
“It was an honor,” Newsom said. “It’s a good example for our kids and a good example for those who may encounter us out in the community. There is still a stigma there so we must do our best to show we are into our families and we work hard. We’re trying to show Black fathers are about love, connection and engagement.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
About the Author
