Empowerment Speaker

      We live in a society where the role of fathers is carelessly dismissed or diminished. Fathers are seen as optional rather than essential to the mental, social, and emotional development of their children. This is true across race and class. However, one man is working to shift that narrative, particularly in the Black community.

Meet Will Reeves, a self-described country boy from East Texas, who is determined to reconnect Black men to their purpose in being fathers and helping them navigate the legal path to that end.

Reeves moved to the DFW metroplex as a young boy and considers himself God’s helper. He has a passion for helping others, which led him to starting The Legal Discussion, an organization that helps single fathers get more involved and stay involved with their children through education, motivation, and empowerment.

The inspiration for The Legal Discussion came from Reeves’ own struggles to forge a relationship with his now 14-year-old daughter whom he absolutely adores. Reeves proudly spoke of his baby girl’s penchant for entrepreneurship, noting that she is currently writing a book and has created customized bookmarks for purchase. He describes his daughter as sweet and caring and expressed how fatherhood brings him so much joy. Will Reeves Is Also A Member Of Cornerstone Baptist Church, Were He Has Been Serving and Doing Gods Ministry Works For Seven Years.

 

Getting to a place where he can enjoy fatherhood has been a long and tedious road, according to Reeves. He could have missed out on so much if not for his persistence. “The trials that came along with it were devastating for me,” Reeves recalled. “That’s what helped me put things into perspective.”

The Legal Discussion began last June at the Larry Johnson Rec Center in Dallas. Reeves targeted men who were already involved in their children’s lives in an effort to encourage greater involvement.

Reeves believes that fathers are underrepresented in family court and in society at large. “Mothers are represented and acknowledged on both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day,” says Reeves.

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He continues, “I want to change the narrative. That’s why I’m out here advocating for fathers. I want us to be able to say that there are more fathers out here taking care of their children and be able to celebrate that.”

According to a 2014 report by the Census Bureau, 82.5% of custodial parents were mothers. When attempting to gain custodial or visitation rights through the family courts, many fathers are faced with what seems like insurmountable obstacles to becoming a significant presence in the lives of their children.

Time and money, their most valuable resources in navigating family courts, are in short supply. The process can be intimidating for some. Reeves points out that many fathers he talks to express concern about their role as parents, but some shy away from attending his gatherings when they learn it’s about the court process.

“A lot of fathers tend to let the mothers just do their thing. However, we need to do our thing as fathers, which is pursue our custody cases. Don’t just sit back and let things happen,” he says.

 

Education plays a big role in how Reeves helps noncustodial parents through the family court process. Many don’t understand their paperwork and what is needed from them, and what rights are given them with their court orders.

In a lot of cases, Reeves says that fathers who show up for visitation without a direct order from the court are denied visitation by the mothers of their children, especially if there is a current dispute between the two parents or the father’s child support payments aren’t current. Not only does this hurt the fathers, but the greatest impact is on the children.

Reeves recalls being denied visitation by his own daughter’s mother. “I had to go down to the courthouse, get my paperwork, and read through it,” he says. “A lot of people don’t read through their paperwork.”

Unfortunately, in Reeves experience, he was forced to call the authorities on several occasions to enforce his visitation order. Quiet as its kept, Reeves is not alone in this experience.

The motivation aspect of Reeve’s work is encouraging the non-custodial parents to take initiative and show up for their children. He believes that this is also a community effort. “We should be motivational tools for each other as parents, friends, peers,” he iterates.

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As mentioned earlier, another aspect of The Legal Discussion is empowering fathers to rediscover their purpose as parents. Reeves firmly believes that motherhood and fatherhood are both God-ordained positions and that both parents have a responsibility to instill faith into their children and guide them into adulthood.

When asked how he feels about society’s general assumption that mothers are, by default, the better parent, Reeves responded, “I think mothers deserve that. After all, they carry and give birth to the children.”

He also points out that parenting doesn’t end with giving birth, but rather is just beginning. Reeves is very open about his experiences and the fact that neither he nor his daughter’s mother were prepared to be good parents when their daughter was born. After abusing drugs and a stint in jail, Reeves began to clean up his life. He rehabilitated himself, pursued an education, and began working. He knew he had to be and do better for his daughter.

He began to pursue custody of his daughter when he realized that the conditions she was living in were not healthy for a child.

Of course, if he could do some things differently, he would. Reeves says that although it’s out of his control, he is against parents splitting up and putting children in the position of choosing sides and living from house to house. “Children get emotional when they think about their parents,” he says. “It hurts them emotionally.”

In cases such as Reeves’, child protective services sometimes have to get involved to evaluate the situation and children may be removed from their home. “It can be mentally disturbing for the child, being caught in the middle of family issues,” says Reeves.

Although Reeves’ program specifically targets fathers, non-custodial mothers can also seek help through The Legal Discussion. The program also refers both parents to family counseling services and partners with other community organizations to help custodial and non-custodial parents find resolutions that work for the whole family.

The message that Reeves really wants to get across is that non-custodial parents who want to be involved in their children’s lives have to be persistent, read, and ask questions.

If you are a non-custodial parent in need of education, tools, and resources regarding custody, visitation, and even child support, Sign up to be apart of our mailing group. Thanks