Program Participant Spotlight: Knigel Boone, Fatherhood

Could you tell me more about your involvement in the Fatherhood program and how you first started going? 

My mother told me about the program because I’m going through issues with my son’s mother. I haven’t seen him since—well, I haven’t had him with me since November. I’m able to talk to him sometimes on FaceTime, and I’ve been able to see him on Fridays when I pick up his older brother because they go to the same school. I’m going through a custody battle with his mother, pretty much. 

So, my mother told me about Fatherhood and how it’s a program that has brotherhood—a lot of support, and you can lean on one another and have a good support system. That’s rare, especially in my community. I’m from Brooklyn. I’m a Black, African American male, and going to therapy is something that a lot of us don’t do. This is like another form of therapy between people that look just like you from the same neighborhood. There’s no judgment, and so it just feels like home, like you’re just talking to another brother or another cousin. 

I started looking up more about Fatherhood, and I decided to join it. I started around March, and I participated twice a week. There were between seven and ten people per class, and we talked every Monday for two hours or so, just about what was going on, things we could do to work on our situations. That was definitely something I loved. We’re actually having a basketball tournament soon playing against high school students in that area. It’s like being in a frat. We want to give back to the community as well.

Are you still meeting on a weekly basis, or is that part over?

That session stopped, but we’re in contact in a group chat. So, we still speak, just checking in on one another. 

Were you in the same group the entire time?

Oh yes, same people. I was going Monday and Wednesday, but they also had a Tuesday and Thursday class. Now we do a Zoom once a month where we all come together. Or we’ll all come together and all meet in person, and they’ll have some food for the kids. I actually saw one of the fathers last week because he’s in the same neighborhood as me. You start to meet new people in the neighborhood, so that’s another good thing.

What were the meetings like? 

[Reuben King], the counselor, would have things scheduled; he’d have things planned that he wanted to touch on. For example, if one of the guys were going through something, he would want to touch base on that and see how we all could probably learn from that situation. And then some days we were just freestyling. 

How has your relationship with your kids changed since being in Fatherhood? Have you gotten any help with your custody battle? 

Yes, the program helped me. They introduced me to a lawyer, and I spoke to them a little bit about my case because my case is in August. They’ve been giving me tips and everything. They definitely pointed me in the right direction to handle the situation. After being with [Fatherhood], I’ll be able to show my progress because they have a certificate that they give us showing that we participated.

It’s about coming together and learning about how to be a better person, how to be a better father—that’s something that they give you as well. So it’s definitely beneficial and something I would truly recommend to other fathers. I’ve been speaking to other fathers that I’m really cool with, my friends, and telling them about the program as well. I have a cookout coming up as well, a get-together where we’ll bring the kids and have a lot of activities for the kids as well as fathers.

Is getting involved with the community a big part of the program? 

Yeah, that’s something they’re trying to do more. The basketball tournament will be the first thing that I’ve attended; I just gave Reuben my size for my sneakers. They’re giving us beautiful, brand new sneakers for the game. So this would be my first time doing the community part. I’m definitely enjoying it. You know, it’s just taking my mind off my situation and the son who I’m not seeing. This morning he called me and we were playing games on our message app—playing ball, playing checkers. He’s eight now, so he can communicate like that.

That’s good that you’re still able to keep in touch. How old are your other sons?

I have a nine year old son and a two year old, who’s grown up faster than the other ones because he tried to keep up. He’s two, and he’s already playing football. You throw the football, you try to bounce the basketball. He’s in soccer right now. My older son, Julian, is the soccer player, but now the young one—because he goes to all the practices and the games with me—he’s doing it all. Right now, we take him every Sunday to soccer.