Will Jawando tells a deeply affirmative story of hope and respect for men of color at a time when Black men are routinely stigmatized. As a boy growing up outside DC, Will, who went by his Nigerian name, Yemi, was shunted from school to school, never quite fitting in. He was a Black kid with a divorced white mother, a frayed relationship with his biological father, and teachers who scolded him for being disruptive in class and on the playground. Eventually, he became close to Kalfani, a kid he looked up to on the basketball court. Years after he got the call telling him that Kalfani was dead, another sickening casualty of gun violence, Will looks back on his relationships with an extraordinary series of mentors that enabled him to thrive.

Will’s inspiring personal story in My Seven Black Fathers offers a transformative way for Black men to shape the next generation.

Will Jawando is an attorney, activist, and community leader with a lifelong dedication to public service.  This program will be moderated by Peggy Lewis, PhD, former Executive Dean of the School of Business and Graduate Studies and the School of Professional Studies at Trinity Washington University.  Prior to Peggy’s academia career, she was an award winning broadcast journalist in D.C., New York and Miami before joining the Clinton Administration.

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