FatherWorks, The Gathering Spot, and the Ain’t No Manual Podcast brought Atlanta something long overdue on Nov. 20, a space where fathers and father figures could receive the recognition they deserve. Father Figures: A Celebration of Men Who Matter, gathered fathers, mentors, leaders, and community builders in a room that invited them to breathe, release, and feel seen.
The event featured spoken word performances by poet laureate Hank Stewart and Fisiwe “AfroQween” Zwanna, live conversation from the Ain’t No Manual hosts, including reflections on mental health, fatherhood, pressure, identity, and allowing children to choose their own path. Before the event began, I sat down with Thomas “Trey” Dortch III, Ron Hill, and Damien Wilkins. What they shared revealed not only the purpose of the event but the need for it.
Dortch, co-founder of FatherWorks and co-host of Ain’t No Manual, spoke about shifting the culture of silence around men’s inner lives.”We’re here to show that there’s strength in vulnerability, there’s strength in having those hard conversations,” he said, making it clear that Ain’t No Manual serves as a platform for difficult and necessary conversions.
Hill, co-host of the Ain’t No Manual podcast, echoed that intention, grounding the podcast and the event in emotional honesty. He said they built this platform because “we saw a need for a platform for men to come and be able to express themselves.” He later added what he hoped every man would feel by the time he left the gathering: “We just want them to know that we see them and we’re here for them.” In a world that often expects men to endure silently, those words hit with the weight of something long withheld.
As dozens of men and their families filled the room, their presence alone affirmed how much this moment mattered. These were fathers rushing from practices and jobs, mentors balancing responsibilities, men navigating grief, pressure, leadership, and expectation. Their arrival was a statement: this space was needed.
Some of the most striking truths of our conversation came when Dortch spoke about the narratives forced onto Black men. “As a Black man, you always hear that we’re not present… we’re giving our all… we want to kill those stigmas, [stereotypes like the] angry black man.” Dortch’s words captured the weight many men in the room had carried quietly for years, the tension between what society insists they are and who they know themselves to be.
When the live Ain’t No Manual Podcast taping began, the room shifted. Damien Wilkins, a former NBA player, former general manager of Overtime Elite, and father of five, spoke with a clarity that grounded the event in something real and necessary. “You can’t pull from an empty cup. I can’t help anyone if I can’t help myself,” he said.
The event’s alignment with International Men’s Day sparked a moment of revelation. Many people in the room, myself included, did not know it fell on Nov. 19. Wilkins said, “I was looking for anything about just [International Men’s Day]… it was radio silent.” That silence, echoed across the world every year, is part of why Father Figures mattered so much. Hill shared that the goal is for people to eventually “put value to it.” Until then, gatherings like this begin the work.
The “Give Him His Flowers” tribute honored men whose lives have shaped communities in ways large and small. The honorees included Damien Wilkins, whose leadership in athletic mentorship extends far beyond the court; Hank Stewart, an Emmy-winning poet and civic leader; Richard Dunn, COO of The Atlanta Voice and longtime cultural builder; Darren “DJ” Sturgess, V-103 radio personality and community mentor; Mike B. Jackson, founder and CEO of HomeChatr; Dr. Brandon Frame, visionary behind TheBlackManCan; Mario A. Reyes, Air Force veteran, poet, and advocate for Black men’s wellness; and Kelsey Maynor, hospitality entrepreneur and author focused on mental and emotional growth.
Their names weren’t just listed. Their lives were acknowledged, not as exceptions, but as reminders of the kinds of men who build families, support communities, and uplift others without expecting recognition.
Throughout our interview, Hill spoke softly about the emotional weight men carry, saying, “although you are gonna bear many hats, that you are appreciated.” Dortch shared a message every man deserves to hear more than once, saying, “just know that you’re needed, like you are enough, and know that you’re needed.” These weren’t just words. They were truths men rarely hear spoken aloud.
Father Figures worked because it refused to tell men who they should be. Instead, it made room for men to be exactly who they are. It let them sit in their stories without judgment, in their laughter without restraint, in their vulnerability without fear. It let them celebrate one another in ways society often denies them permission to do.
The result was something many men in the room had never experienced: a night where they were not asked to perform or endure but to receive. A night that didn’t tell them to be strong but reminded them that they already are. A night that offered not just recognition but restoration.
In the end, Father Figures proved what many have always known but rarely say out loud: when men are given space to be seen, they rise, they soften, they connect, and they heal. It was more than a celebration. It was a beginning. Listen to the Ain’t No Manual Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and youtube.
