June is a month of important celebrations as we reflect on and honor both fatherhood and Black freedom. So, it seemed fitting that I connect with Raheem Jackson, a recent student parent—now college graduate—to talk about his journey as a Black student father. We met at Hope 2025 after my comrade, STAR Fellow Krystle Pale made an introduction. Raheem has a powerful testimony about navigating life and college as a student father. He shared about the importance of community, his parenting joys, navigating mental health challenges, and long-standing narratives about Black fathers.
There are nearly 150,000 Black undergraduate student fathers across the country. Raheem’s story, while uniquely his own, also reflects the everyday experiences of Black student fathers. I invite you to read some highlights of our conversation, and also to listen to our full chat with resources mentioned in the post. Highlights were edited for clarity and length.
Nina: Raheem, I want to give you the floor, maybe just to share who you are, and tell us about your college journey.
Raheem: I’m a dad of three daughters—14, 7, and 5—and I started my journey many, many moons ago after high school. I’ve always known that I wanted to just help others, and I always wanted to be of service to others. That's always been something that’s kind of been in my blood, and I always thought that had to come from either, you know, being a first responder or law enforcement. So I kind of followed that path after high school. I went through about three colleges before I finally learned to settle down. Eventually, I ended up in the Army and did that for 8 years. And then I went into law enforcement.
Throughout all of this, I also struggled with addiction, with alcohol and drugs, and my mental health as well—although at that time I did not know that part.
So, eventually, I got to a point where, when I finally got sober, I didn't know what to do with myself. I continued to share my story with others regarding my addiction and then my journey into sobriety. One of the things I used to always say was my biggest regret was never finishing college, because I’ve been to multiple different colleges.
Eventually, through my many journeys. I worked at a school in Camden, New Jersey, and I got linked up with one of the assistant principals. She told me about College Unbound and how I could earn my degree, and all these things, and it just sounds too good to be true. I was like, well, “I have children, so, you know, I can’t do that.” And she was like, “Well, we have child care,” and I don’t ever remember hearing that like being a thing, especially with college.
Once I realized I really had no excuses, I finally dove all in, and I went for it, and I was blessed enough to have my children be a part of that journey. I was blessed enough to get all the way through it, even though there were times where I was like, “This is entirely too much. And maybe I made a mistake. Maybe this isn’t for me.” It opened up so many other doors and opportunities, and I’m very thankful and grateful for Dr. Melissa Herder for never giving up on me and pushing me and being annoying [laughs], and I really just appreciate her for that.
Nina: What have been some of your greatest joys as a student father?
Raheem: I remember being on vacation, and I had class still, and I had homework to do, and sitting down in the hotel lobby with my oldest daughter, and we sat there, and we were doing homework together. I think just having my daughters be able to see what this journey looks like. They might not fully understand it right now, but they know that “Wow! My dad finished college.” And they got to see that and be a part of it as well. So, they remember coming to class with me. They remember all those things. They got to meet some of my [College Unbound] cohort members, and they see when I’m online that they’re like, “Oh, Daddy’s in class”—like they understand that part.
I know they are proud of me. They were happy. They were cheering me on at my graduation.
Nina: What do you hope that they learn from seeing this journey?
Raheem: It took me a long time, but it was still doable. They don’t have to go the same route that I went to get their college degree, and as long as they see that it might not always be easy. Because they definitely see me get frustrated at times. They’ve definitely seen me not log into the class at times as well because I’m just overwhelmed. I’m gonna take a nap tonight. But for them to just see that it’s okay sometimes. And it’s okay to do things at your own pace. You don’t have to compare yourself to everybody else. But do what works for you to still accomplish your goals and your dreams.
Nina: There was so much gold in what you just shared. How do you cope with the mental health piece?
Raheem: Oh, that’s been rough.
But I think one of the biggest things for me has been learning what it means to stop, pause, and just check in with myself to see where I’m at. My little mantra is that “something somewhere is gonna have to give”—and that’s okay.
Every male friend that I have is an active father. So, I love the fact that when I check in with them, they already know what I’m talking about. They know what I’m going through. So, they get it. So, checking in with them and checking in with my cohort. That’s probably the biggest thing, and therapy. Therapy has been major.
Nina: I also love that, in your community, you have emphasized that every one of your male friends are active fathers. But I think it’s interesting that there’s still this kind of narrative that exists about absentee dads, especially among Black men. But there’s actual, literal research that emphasizes how involved Black fathers are. Why do you think that narrative still persists, even as you’re seeing active Black fathers?
Raheem: I think it’s been such a long-standing narrative, because it’s still what’s being portrayed out there.
Even now, still, with social media to this day, as much as information we have that we can pass along, there’s still that negative information being passed along about Black fathers. It’s never really changed.
So, I think there really needs to be a push for not only advocating for men and fathers, but to truly show Black fathers are showing up in their families’ lives and their children’s lives. And these are the things that they are doing on a consistent basis. Right? So, I think, to help change that narrative, it has to be exactly that—we need to start showing exactly what’s taking place.
Nina: How can institutions center the experience of Black fathers?
Raheem: I think, for institutions again, being very intentional, calling it out for what it is.
Even when you’re advocating for student parents, fathers still tend to get lost. We still tend to get overlooked in a lot of those conversations.
And I don’t think institutions realize how specific you have to be when targeting fathers. No matter what we do. Any student-parent work, anything like that, having those workshops dedicated to fathers.
Even when you’re looking for resources for fathers and for men, especially with parenting, it’s almost nonexistent.
When you compare [them] to the resources that are out there for mothers, it is very staggering. I love that women and mothers have those resources. I’m very happy for that. But I want to see that same energy for fathers.