Catholic Law alumnus Will Jawando ’07 is set to publish his deeply personal memoir, My Seven Black Fathers: A Young Activist's Memoir of Race, Family, and the Mentors Who Made Him Whole. The memoir chronicles his life from childhood growing up outside of Washington, D.C., to adulthood as a civil rights and education policy attorney, public servant, husband, and father.

Jawando has already received praise for the book. New York Times–bestselling author Ibram X. Kendi said of the book, “Will Jawando's account of mentorship, service, and healing lays waste to the racist stereotype of the absent Black father. By arguing that Black fathers are not just found in individual families, but are indeed the treasure of entire Black communities, Will makes the case for a bold idea: that Black men can counter racist ideas and policies by virtue of their presence in the lives of Black boys and young men. This is a story we need to hear.”

Jawando earned his B.A. from The Catholic University of America in 2004 and his law degree from Catholic Law in 2007. He currently serves as a councilman for the Montgomery County Government in Maryland.

My Seven Black Fathers: A Young Activist's Memoir of Race, Family, and the Mentors Who Made Him Whole is available May 3, 2022. Click here to learn more.