Viral 'Daddy Strolls' give Chicago fathers space to share wins and struggles

Chicago dads build community through Daddy Victory Club

Chicago dad Kouri Marshall created the Daddy Victory Club ? a supportive space for dads to share wins, challenges, and advice.

CHICAGO - Several studies show dads are more involved in their children’s lives than ever before. That includes taking on more nurturing and caregiving responsibilities. But there’s a gap when it comes to parenting programs dedicated to fathers. 

"From utero to throughout the pregnancy, through delivery, I noticed that she had a lot of resources available to her," said Kouri Marshall, when speaking of his wife.  "The doctors would often just talk to her and sometimes would not talk to me and I'd be like, 'hey, I'm here.'"

After speaking with some friends, Marshall learned he wasn’t the only father to feel this way.

"I searched all across the internet, didn't really find many resources," said Marshall. "So I thought about the quote from Mahatma Gandhi, like, we must be the change we wish to see in the world. So seeing that there was a lack of resources for me as a dad to be, I thought I would create it myself here in Chicago for other dads."

What they're saying:

The result is the Daddy Victory Club, a safe space for men to navigate the adversities that come along with fatherhood. 

"I told my wife about it and she was like, you need to go," said Cameron Barnes. "Everything was very complex for me. Trying to figure out my new schedule, trying to deal with the changes of babies, trying to figure out how to pour into myself as well. That’s something I asked the other dads in the group. How did you figure that out? The tips, they gave me to schedule my days out and making sure that I'm finding that time for myself, so I can give my best self to my wife and my son as well."

Learning that balance is exactly what Kouri Marshall defines as a Daddy Victory.

 "We are considering potty training my son," said Marshall. "When he learns how to potty train, that's a daddy victory. When my wife is tired, especially when he was firstborn and I took him into my care so that she can get a bit of rest, that's a daddy victory. When he said his first word, that was a daddy victory. I think that we often think of victories in our lives as these magnanimous, these gigantic ideas, but that's not what it truly means to be a victorious dad.

Once a month, the Daddy Victory Club gathers for a Daddy Stroll. A video of dads and strollers has gone viral on social media. It caught the attention of Tomas House and made him decide to join the group. 

"Me being a proud dad, that was just a no-brainer for me," said House. "I just wanted to be able to not only take the light of black dads to a higher level, push the vision and whatnot, but also use this as a moment to highlight my black son as well."

The group was created with Black dads in mind, but Marshall says this is a place for all fathers and father figures. 

"This is a group for black dads obviously, but we're not exclusive. There are a number of our white brothers here in Chicago and across the country who have biracial children. This is also a group for dads of children of color. So, we hope that they'll join our ranks with the intention of being good dads."

What you can do:

The next Daddy Victory Walk is happening this Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. All dads are encouraged to attend and bring your little ones. They’ll be meeting in the South Loop at The Spoke and Bird.