Real Men Cook: 35 Years of Celebrating Fathers And Uplifting Black Men

When Yvette Moyo co-founded Real Men Cook with Kofi Moyo, the mission was clear: to change the narrative around Black men and celebrate their contributions as fathers, mentors and community leaders. “At that time, even though there were no Black unemployment statistics for males, we still understood that the media portrayed Black men negatively,” Moyo recalled. In creating Real Men Cook, they aimed to dominate the media with positive messages and images of Black men.& Aspiration fulfilled. Thirty-five years later, the impact of the Chicago-born Real Men Cook movement is undeniable and far-reaching.& If you notice a group of men gathering to cook for folks on Father’s Day, there’s a great chance they were influenced by Real Men Cook, whose vast reach even touched the White House lawn—more on this later.& But here at home, the organization is again bringing men together for its annual Father’s Day tradition, during which men make and share food and celebrate their positive roles in their communities. Moyo and her son Rael Jackson, president of Real Men Cook, recently spoke with The Chicago Defender about the organization’s time-honored Father’s Day tradition, the various people connected with it and what lies ahead.& Real Men Cooking...