Photo courtesy of Fathers Making Progress
Fathers Who Made Progress
Fathers Who Made Progress (left back to right): Terron Edwards, Benamin Watson, Shawn Mitchell Ameen Allen, and Joshua Johnson (in front).
Over 20 years ago, on Milwaukee's North Side, a quiet movement took root. Terron Edwards, a father with a vision, gathered a group of like-minded men who shared a common concern. Too many fathers in their community had withdrawn from family responsibility, and too few resources existed to help them. They pooled their experiences, and that effort grew into Fathers Making Progress (FMP).
When the pandemic brought daily life down in 2020, FMP responded by stepping up. The grassroots organization formally incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, cementing its commitment to Milwaukee's fathers with a new level of accountability. Since then, FMP’s impact has been remarkable, nearly doubling each year since 2021. Their innovative programs are designed to do more than offer temporary support.
“Our mission is to improve the community and generational cycles through strengthening fathers,” said Edwards. A simple statement for a complex mission, but behind it stands many years of proof that it works.
When I spoke to Edwards, he filled me in on his own fatherhood challenges and how that experience inspired him to found FMP.
“I was born in Flint, Michigan,” he told me. “Two parent family, nice house, nice neighborhood, but sadly, my dad was shot and killed when I was 9 years old. He was only in his 30s. He had been a good provider. It shook my world. On top of that, I’d lost my 3-year-old brother a year earlier. He was killed by a drunk driver in our neighborhood. I watched it happen. But the hardest impact for these losses was on my mother. She went into a deep dark depression, and she wrestled with addiction.”
Moving to Milwaukee
In 1989, Edwards’ mother moved her family from Flint to Milwaukee where she had family.
“We ended up living on 22nd and Townsend in the inner city,” Edwards told me. “Rough neighborhood, gang war zone, turf war, drug use, drug dealing. There was a drug house across the street. For a while, I ran with a rough crowd. I had to get used to the poverty and violence. In Flint, I had been living a middle-class life.”
For his early schooling, Edwards was bussed to the south side where he attended the 78th Street School, mingling with mostly white children. “Segregation was kind of new for me,” he said. “I didn’t see any white people in my neighborhood until I went to that school.”
As time went by, he matriculated to John Marshall High School on the North Side where he was popular and became interested in radio broadcasting. It paid off. Fathers Making Progress now has a podcast.
The move to Milwaukee was good for his mother, too. “I am proud of my mom,” he said. “She made a comeback. She went back to school, became a registered nurse, stayed clean, stayed sober, and became committed to her church. She got involved with her Milwaukee family members, eight siblings. In fact, my present family home was originally my grandmother’s house.”
Becoming a Father
When Edwards was only 16, his oldest son was born, a big responsibility for a teenage boy. “By the time I was 19, I had another son,” he said. “Fatherhood straightened me out, kind of led me to helping others as I got older.”
Through fits and starts, early fatherhood eventually led Edwards to a career working in nonprofits. Starting out, he tested different educational programs including radio broadcasting and audio engineering. Meanwhile, he was working in an audio recording studio, day and night. His children were enrolled in Head Start.
“I volunteered for various jobs at Head Start,” he said. “Gym teacher, reading teacher, preparing lunches, even being Santa Claus. I joined the policy council for Head Start and later became the policy council president. I also went through the Fatherhood training program. In 2004, I became involved with the leadership program for Public Allies Wisconsin. I was placed in the New Hope project, which helps poor working people. I stayed in the Public Allies job until it merged with the YWCA in 2010.
Public Allies Wisconsin (PAWI) is a social justice-focused leadership development organization. It is a member of the AmeriCorps national service network
Fathers Working with Each Other
At New Hope, Edwards empathized with the many needy families without fathers. In 2005, his group developed an 8-week program to help absent fathers become better fathers. But then, New Hope lost its funding. “I knew these fathers needed more help, and this all evolved into Fathers Making Progress,” he said. “From 2012 to 2015, we held fatherhood groups at Marshall High School and at Parklawn YMCA branch. Then, we moved to the King Center. Meanwhile, I was working a day job in wellness and community organizing at Walnut Way and for Running Rebels. I’ve been trained in probably 15 Fatherhood workforce curricula.”
By the time of the pandemic in 2019, the fatherhood groups had expanded to nearly 60 FMP members, and the men were now meeting twice a week.
“We had developed an alumni network,” said Edwards. “In 2020, we became a funded nonprofit organization with a board of directors, who were all FMP alumni. We now receive state funding and private foundation dollars. We also have large fund raiser events.”
In Milwaukee, approximately 70% (seven out of 10) of Black children live in single-parent homes, almost all being single mothers. I raised the question of why so many fathers have become absent.
He said, “Some of this absent father problem descends from the low income government programs from the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s. Those welfare programs mainly helped mom and child but stonewalled dad. That struck a blow to the pride of Black dads because they were kind of left out. But the other cause was in the private sector, the loss of industries in the rust belt, Milwaukee and other big cities. Black men lost good paying jobs. Up until then, the urban Black family had mostly two parents.”
“By the 1980s, ‘90s, and 2000s,” he went on, “some of these industrial city economies turned to crime, mainly the selling of drugs. The crack epidemic followed. The men kind of lost their roles as dads and providers. Many Black men either became criminals or drug addicts, and they became disconnected from fatherhood.”
“Add to that, the brokenness of the homes, the dad and mom not being together. On the worst end, there can be domestic violence. We see absent dads who don’t want to be absent, but they never had the role models to show them how to be present.”
Many nonprofits deal with helping abused women, programs on domestic violence, counseling, therapy, loss of self-esteem, but fewer nonprofits and agencies are focused on helping men.
“Yes, abuse cannot exist in a bubble,” he said. “It’s like if we all go out in a rainstorm, yet only half of us get wet. If abuse happens in a home, the son and daughter watch the abuse, and they might carry on that behavior when they become parents. You know, women can also become abusers.
“In my first marriage, I was in an abusive relationship,” Edwards said. “My wife was verbally abusive, kicked me down in my lowest moments. Because I was so much bigger, I wouldn’t talk back. Trauma does some bad things to the dynamics of a relationship or a family. Fortunately, my current wife loves and respects me. Her parents have been together for 40 plus years.”
Success of Fathers Making Progress
I offered Edwards his own quotation about Fathers Making Progress: “We provide the what's next, the what's now. We don't pat you on the back and see you on your way. We have a place that people can continue to be a part of.”
He offered more. “Fathers Making Progress comes from an 8-week cyclical program. Eight weeks cannot solve what is going on in the grand scheme of your life. We create spaces of long-term investment for our dads and families. We now have a 12-week course, Fathers Building Fathers, taught by experienced fathers. It is broken into three four-week modules: The Man Before The Father, Relationships That Build and The Father That I Am. The dads who take this course learn best practice parenting techniques. Some of our alumni dads are trained to facilitate this course. Being a responsible dad is an ongoing process. Fathers come back to us after five, 10 or 15 years. Remember, fathers have people depending on them, children, wives, even relatives.”
I asked Edwards about his own children.
“I have a 21-year-old daughter, who recently graduated from college,” he said. “She has moved out on her own. My other daughter is in California going to college. My oldest son works at the post office, and my youngest son is 11. My goal has always been to focus on my children and be the best dad I can be.”
I later made contact with some fathers who have benefited from FMP. They are all 2026 award winners for Father of the Year.
Laquinton "Q" Gladney: Rookie Father of the Year
“I love both of my children with all my heart, but this chance to start fresh is a special kind of gift. I can give so much more of myself this time around simply because I have lived a little more life.”
Redeemer Joe Whittaker: Comeback Father of the Year
“I haven't always been perfect, but the greatest lesson I learned was the power of honesty. I had to learn to be honest with myself first, and then with my children. Rebuilding those bonds took real work, and I am deeply grateful to have reached a place with my kids.”
Alexis Outlaw & Antoine Carter: Co-Parents of the Year
Outlaw: “I sometimes wonder why more mothers don't partner with their children's fathers this way. I never want to minimize how hard it can be, because it takes real effort and patience. But this kind of cooperation is exactly what gets our son to the finish line.”
Carter: “I take a lot of pride in being a good dad, but the truth is, I have a truly amazing co-parent who makes all of this possible. I am deeply grateful for the teamwork we share.”
Albert Holmes: Trailblazer Father of the Year
“Growing up without parents, Albert began working as a teenager to support himself. Despite personal hardships, he became a dedicated father to seven children, emphasizing the importance of being present in their lives. Albert has been a trailblazer in fatherhood advocacy. His work has supported countless non-custodial parents, particularly African American fathers, in fostering meaningful connections with their children.”
Clinton Wray: Community Father of the Year
“My work is simply a reflection of my deepest beliefs, an act of gratitude to the elders who showed me the way, and a testament to my faith in God.”
All award winners will be honored at The FMP Awards, taking place on “Fatherhood’ Friday, June 19 at American Family Field, 5–8:30 p.m. For more information, check out the event at givebutter.com/c/fmpawards26
