Inspired by President Barack Obama's commitment to encouraging and supporting responsible fathers-he created the President's Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative to do just that-Bet on Black: African-American Women Celebrate Fatherhood in the Age of Barack Obama aims to wrestle back the much-maligned image of the Black dad and expose it as something that, while not perfect, is a human, loving presence in the lives of his children. In turns insightful, clever and laugh-out-loud funny, 20 Black women writers share deeply personal stories that prove the stereotypes wrong. More than just love letters, their essays spin truths that examine the positive/complicated/ bittersweet/hilarious/aweinspiring relationships they share with the fathers in their lives. From the girl whose dad pulled double duty to fill the space left when her mother died, to the woman whose brother has successfully raised six children from behind bars, to the young mother who knew her grandfather truly loved her when he threatened to beat up her boyfriend, the stories in Bet on Black will shift the dialog about what it means to be a Black father in the United States.