BONUS EPISODE: Rewriting the Narrative on Fatherhood with Shaka Senghor

Author, speaker, and mentor Shaka Senghor talks with host Matt Anderson about his lessons learned through fatherhood and 19 years of incarceration. Shaka reflects on how mentorship, literature, writing, and family influenced his journey through imprisonment and led to his success today. In discussing his latest book “Letters to the Sons of Society,” Shaka also touches on the potential impact of contextualizing the entirety of people’s experiences to change narratives and inspire humanity.

Show Notes
00:00:33 | Host Matt Anderson talks about Shaka Senghor’s backstory. Matt sets up the conversation by talking about Shaka’s newest book, “Letters to the Sons of Society,” and its goal to expand the narrative around fathers and sons.

00:02:00 | Shaka begins his conversation with Matt talking about his experience meeting men in prison who navigated the foster care system and the connections between the criminal justice, foster care, and educational systems.

00:04:17 | Shaka recalls a story he mentioned in his TED Talk. When Shaka was in prison, he received a letter from his oldest son.

00:06:32 | Matt asks Shaka about the four keys mentioned earlier, specifically mentorship.

00:10:16 | Shaka talks about the importance of being in relationships with incarcerated people prior to and during their reintegration into society.

00:12:04 | Matt talks about Brian Stevenson’s work on criminal justice reform and the importance of being in proximity with people. Putting theory into practice, The Frederick Douglas Project is mobilizing community members to combat stereotypes and stigmas around incarcerated people.

00:13:23 | Matt asks Shaka about the letter exchange between Shaka and his dad while he was incarcerated and the impact those conversations had on his development as a person and as a father.

00:20:05 | Matt reflects on how systems keep people separated, like youth and parents involved in child welfare, and the negative impact that it has on relationships. Shaka talks about “our greatest untapped resources and that's the emotions of dads, that emotional connectivity”.

00:24:09 | Matt reflects on the collective responsibility mentioned in Shaka’s book “Letters to the Sons of Society” and the collective responsibility to support children and families.

00:24:40 | Shaka talks about the goal of his book “Letters to the Sons of Society.”

00:29:40 | Matt reflects on Shaka’s points and references learnings from Father Greg Boyle.

00:31:28 | Shaka talks about his work conducting workshops around shifting narratives with storytelling. He also gives his advice for professionals like Matt.

00:34:29 | Matt shares his final thoughts.

Resources
Learn more about Shaka Senghor and his work | Shaka Senghor Website
Book: “Letters to the Sons of Society: A Father's Invitation to Love, Honesty, and Freedom” by Shaka Senghor | GoodReads
Shaka Senghor TEDTalks | TEDTalks
About The Frederick Douglas Project for Justice
Shaka Senghor on Oprah’s Super Soul Podcast | Apple Podcasts
About Father Greg Boyle | Homeboy Indust