With the sound of upbeat music playing, fathers, sons, and families gathered at the Brooklyn Park Community Activity Center on Saturday for an early celebration of International Men’s Day.
The event was hosted by Brooklyn Park-based Global Fatherhood Foundation (GFF) and marked the fifth time the organization brought the community and partners together to openly discuss the importance of men’s wellness.
“The International Men’s Day celebration empowers men and boys, not only on this day but every day,” said Samuel Mwangi, GFF’s chief executive director “You are seen, you are valued, you matter.”
Mwangi founded GFF in 2008 with a mission to strengthen families by supporting fathers and young men. In 2018, GFF held its first International Men’s Day event. What began as a small gathering has grown into a culturally diverse event attracting attendees from the African American community and communities of immigrants from Africa, Asia, and other parts of the world.
“We just want to recognize the positive value men bring to the communities, and also workplaces,” Mwangi said in an earlier interview. “We want to see more mentors come onboard so they can be able to uplift those men who are struggling.”
International Men’s Day has been observed every year on Nov. 19 since 1999. It is a day when people celebrate the positive contributions of men and boys around the world. In addition to celebrating men as role models and improving gender relations, the day also puts special focus on the wellness – both physical and mental – of men and boys.
One in five of adults, about 61 million people, in the United States experience mental illness every year, according to a 2024 Department of Health and Human Services report. Although an estimated 52% of them receive treatment, men are less likely than women to seek mental health support, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, a U.S. federal agency that leads research on mental health disorders. Experts say that the fear of being seen as weak is one of the main reasons why many men do not seek help for mental health. Organizations like Mwangi’s hope that by bringing men together they can combat the stigma and convince more men to seek help.
“In this country, most of our men don’t actually address the issues that we go through, we tend to keep quiet,” Mwangi said. “So, this is a platform where there are open conversations.”
Mwangi said this year’s theme, “Building Bridges: Empowering Men and Boys to Connect and Thrive,” reflected the organization’s commitment to helping men find support systems, and a sense of belonging. The event was a platform for men to openly discuss mental health, fatherhood challenges, incarceration, and the barriers they face in accessing help.
Among community leaders in attendance was Brooklyn Park Mayor Hollies Winston, who emphasized that supporting men strengthens the entirety of community.
“Men and women are incredibly important to the community,” Winston said. “The healthier men and women are, the stronger we are as a community and as a country.”
Winston said events like International Men’s Day help men reflect on fatherhood, especially in a society where expectations are constantly evolving.
“Some men are struggling with the changing definition of what it means to be a man, what it means to be a father, so I think having discussions about that celebrates the positive aspects of it,” he said.
He also highlighted Brooklyn Park’s diversity, as one of the most multicultural cities in the state, adding that it provided men with opportunities to learn from men of other cultures.
“When you’re in an echo chamber of people who only think and talk like you, you may not get sharpened as much,” Winston said. “When you have people from various cultures and they’re talking about their approaches to fatherhood or you’re learning from them how they deal with discipline or how they deal with issues within their family. I think it makes us stronger as men and more effective as men.”
Rep. Xp Lee, who represents District 34B in the Minnesota state House of Representatives, spoke about the importance of representation and ongoing conversations around men’s issues including mental health, mentorship, and public safety.
“This is a space talking about men’s issues, men’s health and wellness that doesn’t get as much attention as it should,” Lee said. “I love the idea of International Men’s Day because Brooklyn Park is such an international city, with such a diverse background and community.”
Lee noted that youth mentorship was one of the most urgent needs in the community.
“There’s just so much that fathers and male mentors can do to really help encourage and guide the development of boys,” he said.
Lee also referenced concern about gun violence and mental health among men, saying the issues require not only legislative attention, but also strong community partnerships.
“Most suicides by firearm are male; most firearm violence is perpetrated by males,” he said. “How do we really dive into the conversation to try to address that?”
In continuation of conversation and the event, there were several vendors lined up on the perimeter of the room sharing resources to community.
Among the vendors was African Career, Education and Resource (ACER), a non-profit organization founded in 2008 by African immigrants in the Twin Cities to advance racial and economic equity by addressing disparities in education, employment, health, and housing for the African Diaspora and other communities of color.
At the event, ACER was doing COVID surveys, asking the community about any long-term symptoms that they are still experiencing post-COVID.
“The goal of the survey is to get that data out to our government officials to let them know that COVID is still a serious problem in our community,” said Vanessa Vah, a Program Coordinator at ACER.
Health clinics also offered blood pressure checks, while nurses and wellness organizations shared information about medical care, mental health, and preventative screening services.
Author
About Lizzy Nyoike - Mshale Contributing Reporter
Lizzy Nyoike is a Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication student.
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