Rick Najera, host of Latino Thought Makers national radio show on KPFK 90.7FM in Los Angeles, recently spoke to Latino Dad, about family and fatherhood. Latino Dad is a platform showcasing the importance of fatherhood and a resource for dads. The interview was part of their Latino Dad Profiles Series. Rick also served as keynote speaker at the first annual Latino Dad Summit.
What was your upbringing like?
My dad was a World War II vet and served in Vietnam. He had a great gift and shared many stories with me. He would go see a movie and tell me all about it with great passion and every time I saw the same movie, it was boring compared to how he described it. He was Mexican American, and taught me to accept all people including myself. He was very proud of his Mexican culture and really saw Latinos as the solution, not the problem.
Why do you think (or if you don’t), that fatherhood or fathers have a good narrative in the media or beyond. Why the bad wrap or stereotypical – seen as the ‘babysitters’, the ‘goofy dad’ or ‘absentee father’ in the media?
I think it’s not just Latino dads who get a bad wrap sometimes, but Latinos in general. I have been trying to change the narrative in the media about Latinos. Latino dads are great fathers and I know I am. Loving and raising a family is the single most important thing we can do. As dads, it is our responsibility to raise another generation of our people and leave the world a better place than we found it.
See the full interview with photos here: http://www.latinodad.co/latinodad-profiles-series-rick-najera-founder-latino-thought-makers/