[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Corbin Thomas, a counselor at Randolph Elementary, spends his days guiding young boys through the Becoming A Man (BAM) program, helping them navigate the challenges of adolescence. But when the school day ends, his focus shifts to a different mission—building a community where Black fathers can gather, support one another, and celebrate the often-overlooked victories of fatherhood.
From his classroom at Randolph in the Chicago neighborhood of West Englewood, Thomas speaks with the quiet confidence of someone deeply committed to both his students and his community. Since joining Youth Guidance last year, he has led boys from grades six through eight through the BAM program, a school-based initiative that teaches young men critical values like integrity, accountability, and positive anger-expression. For Thomas, these lessons are not only integral to BAM but to his role as a father and ambassador for the Daddy Victory Club.
“I always knew I wanted to be part of BAM,” Thomas says, seated in his classroom during the last hour of the school day. “My basketball coach from high school, Jack Solomon, was like a father to me. He was a BAM counselor, and I always saw how much he gave to the boys he mentored. I wanted to do the same.”
But Thomas’ desire to give back extends beyond his work with young people. His involvement in the Daddy Victory Club, a project spearheaded by Kouri Marshall, founder of the community organization Generation Change, is a personal and powerful reflection of his own journey into fatherhood.
Marshall partnered with TeaPotBrew Bakery, a Black-owned business in the South Loop, to create a space where fathers could come together, share experiences, and celebrate the often small but meaningful victories of raising children. The club attracts Black dads—both young and old— who pull up with their newborns in strollers or stand tall with their sprouting teens to take part in a “Daddy Stroll,” a 1.5-mile walk from the bakery to Lake Michigan and back.
“Kouri came up with the concept, and I knew I had to be part of it,” Thomas explains. “There’s a hunger for spaces like this. Black fathers don’t always have the resources or the support they need. We wanted to create a space where we could fellowship and learn from each other.”
The Daddy Victory Club is, in many ways, a response to the lack of visibility and support for Black fathers in mainstream conversations about parenting. According to an often-cited 2013 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70 percent of Black fathers reported engaging in daily childcare tasks, a higher percentage than both white and Hispanic fathers. Yet, Thomas notes, these statistics rarely make headlines.
“People don’t hear that perspective enough,” he says. “We’re changing that narrative, showing people that Black fathers are present, involved, and committed.”
“These kids I’m talking to every day—they might be fathers one day. That’s how important this is. Whether it’s in the classroom or in the community, it’s all about building relationships.” — Corbin Thomas, BAM Counselor
The club offers a space for fathers to share their experiences—whether it’s advice on getting a baby to sleep through the night, managing sports practices, or just finding balance between work and parenting. For Thomas, the club has been a source of personal growth as well. As the father of a six-month-old son, Ezra, he finds comfort and camaraderie in the stories shared by other fathers.
“There’s something powerful about being surrounded by other dads,” he says. “I had the stroller, the diaper bag, everything packed, but there’s still so much to learn. That’s why I need to be around other fathers.”
Full Circle Mentorship
The Daddy Victory Club isn’t just a space for sharing tips on parenting—it’s also about mentorship. Thomas recalls meeting a young father, barely 19, at one of the club’s gatherings. The young man, pushing a double stroller with two children, reminded Thomas of the importance of community. “He didn’t have the mentorship or support. But he came. He showed up. That’s what this is about—meeting people where they are.”
This spirit of mentorship is an extension of Thomas’ work at Youth Guidance. The core values of BAM—integrity, accountability, positive anger-expression, self-determination, respect for womanhood, and visionary goal-setting—are the same principles he brings to the Daddy Victory Club. “Fatherhood is about having vision,” he says. “You have to set goals for your family and see them through.”
The Daddy Victory Club plans to expand beyond Chicago, creating more spaces where Black fathers can connect and support one another. “We want to celebrate the men who are doing great things in their communities,” Thomas says. “There’s so much more we can do.”
For now, though, Thomas remains focused on the work in front of him—both in the classroom and in the community. His goal is simple: to shape the lives of the young men he mentors and to provide a space where Black fathers can feel seen and heard.
“These kids I’m talking to every day—they might be fathers one day,” Thomas says, his voice thoughtful as he considers the full circle of his work. “That’s how important this is. Whether it’s in the classroom or in the community, it’s all about building relationships.”
For Thomas, the role of mentor, counselor, and father is intertwined, each aspect feeding into the other. He isn’t just changing the narrative around Black fatherhood—he’s living it. One conversation, one father, one victory at a time.
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