The Washington Post – Joseph Yusuf had all of the anxieties of a new student when he started Howard University in 2016. Would he make any friends? Could he handle his class schedule? But unlike other students he met, Yusuf also worried about how he’d balance college with his greatest responsibility: Jakayla, his then 3-year-old daughter.
Every day involved meticulous planning to give Jakayla time and attention, while Yusuf carried a full course load. There were trade-offs. Some days he had to stay late on campus to talk to a professor or work on a project, instead of being home to help out with bedtime. “There were moments I felt like I failed her,” recalls Yusuf, 26. “I would have to fight to get home at a certain time, pick up my daughter … and there wasn’t really anyone at school to talk to about it.”
Colleges and universities are coming around to the realization that they are educating moms and dads, like Yusef. But comprehensive support — mentoring, community, child care and grant aid — for the nearly 5 million undergraduates who are parents is lagging. The disconnect is becoming more apparent in the experiences of Black fathers. Read more at The Washington Post.