Father’s Day 2018 Exclusive
By: Michael G. Reel
To discuss the meaning of Father’s Day, 2018, Reel Urban News spoke with educator Dr. Michael Moody and actor Benjamin Patterson, who shared the story of their life with the couple’s two-year-old son Zachary.
“You’re so used to celebrating everybody else at Father’s Day, now we have somebody who calls us ‘Daddy,'” said Patterson. “It’s like, oh yeah, we’re dads.”
Together for nearly two decades, Moody and Patterson gave birth to Zachary through the process of invitro fertilization. For Moody, the birth of his son has been more than rewarding. “It’s completely fulfilling and completely exhausting – it’s all those things wrapped up into one. You get a new perspective on yourself when you have a little one running around. All of a sudden there is something and someone more important than you. Zachary makes it easy – he’s a good little dude.”
Patterson, an actor and musician, burst onto the national scene through his role on the groundbreaking show Noah’s Arc. That led to spots on Grey’s Anatomy, Dear Secret Santa and recently on Greenleaf, a critically acclaimed drama on OWN.
Moody is the co-founder of Insight Education Group and the co-founder and former CEO of Insight Advance, a platform that provides products that support educator observation, coaching and calibration. Using video and in-person instruction, the company supports educators involved in teacher growth.
Patterson still remembers meeting his husband Mike almost 20 years ago. “I want to say it was immediate. I was just so happy. Mike was so into what he was doing and was so confident about it,” said Patterson. “We could talk for hours.”
Oakland native Patterson says both families have played pivotal roles in their lives and now in the life of their son Zachary. “My family lives up north and when Mike and I met our families were very welcoming – there was never a ripple in the water of life. It’s almost a fairy tale story.”
“They’re all close,” added Moody, “and that definitely plays into the equation when you think about these kinds of things.”
Mindful of the troubling headlines regarding young African American men in this country, both fathers remain optimistic that Zachary can be raised in a world that is fair and an environment that is safe. “I grew up in Oakland in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s when things were happening,” recalled Patterson. “And when I look at Zachary, there are so many things I want to protect him from.”
For Moody, who is white, embracing Zachary’s mixed-race background is a non-issue. But he is very much aware of the social challenges and issues that lie ahead. “When it’s just us it really doesn’t matter. But a white guy with an African American kid brings a different kind of perspective. You have to view the world through eyes you don’t have.
“I think about my niece and nephews who were born after Ben and I were together. Uncle Ben and Uncle Mike and the fact that we’re different colors hasn’t registered with them or it has but it hasn’t been an issue.”
Although Zachary is only two years old, his dads believe the boy is aware of his mixed heritage. “It’s really cool to see Zachary favor things,” said Patterson. “Garcelle Beauvais and Sebastian A. Jones wrote books called I Am Mixed and I Am Awesome. Zachary reads them, and I think he gets the concept on a lower level. He sees the pictures and seems to identify. It’s like, wow, this is some 2018 stuff.”
In closing, the two proud fathers shared with Michael Reel of Reel Urban News elements that are important to their family. “You’ve got to be happy with where you’re at in life,” said Patterson.
“You’ve got to be happy with what you have,” added Moody. “And then the rest is gravy.”
