A little boy asked why his father doesn't love him. His words broke my heart

Let me tell you about the hard work we have to do every day. Many of us make the mistake of trying to save young men only after they break up.

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One of our young men came back from a day with the boys and told me he had to step aside so the baby wouldn't see him cry. An 11-year-old boy with a buzzing head and a gap-toothed smile told the young man that he likes to come around us because we feel like his uncles. Then the child became silent. She said she gets sad sometimes because her father never wants to talk to her or see her. What made the young man cry was that the child later said he hoped his father was okay. But why doesn't my father love me?

We all love this young lad and there is nothing not to love about him. He is good with his mother. He works hard at school. He stands up to bullies and takes care of those around him. This boy is only 11 years old. He asks her for guidance. He asks the elders to guide him. If we step, the streets will take him.

This is the hard work we do every day. Many of us make the mistake of trying to save young men after they break up. We hold the press conference after the shooting, myself included, and we say we have to do better. We want funding for post-arrest programs, and this guy has been trapped for a long time. In the saddest cases, we write after the funeral and the family grieves senselessly. These tragedies happen because we often fail to make the boy before the street defines manhood for him.

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By masculinity, I don't mean puffing your chest out like you're a bad person. This is an empty front. Masculinity means discipline, responsibility, accountability, faith and all the qualities that allow a person to stand on two firm feet.

This boy is only eleven years old and he wants guidance. He asks adults to guide him. If we step, the streets will take him.

Every young man learns from the men who stay and show him how it's done. A young man does not learn from slogans, speeches and empty promises. The government can send a check, and it has sent more than its share to our neighborhood, but the government can never build expectations. He can't sit on the sidelines and talk to an 11-year-old boy who wants to know why his father disappeared.

When that young man told me about that child and his father, I considered it a sign from God. I don't know how, but I know why and that's why I'm moving forward. For these young boys. (stock)

Last week, I stood in front of the new Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center we've built to mentor young boys like our 11-year-old son. Above one of the window panes, someone made a hole in the glass. This is the third window frame that has been broken. We talk to thousands of people for damage repair and we will replace them.

But think about what they shot. It wasn't a liquor store or a vacant lot. This building—one of the first developments on the South Side for who knows how long—was going up where a crime-ridden motel once stood. And in the block that was known as the most dangerous block in America.

The government can send a check, and it has sent more than its share to our neighborhood, but the government can never build expectations. He can't sit on the sidelines and talk to an 11-year-old boy who wants to know why his father disappeared.

This building has vocational training facilities, classrooms, tutoring, violence prevention, etc. Most of all, the building was built to house young boys and girls who need the safety to grow into strong and resilient adults. Someone looked at all this and fired a shot at it.

I am ticked and sad. But I will not leave.

When that young man told me about that child and his father, I considered it a sign from God. I don't know how, but I know why and that's why I'm moving forward. For these young boys.

They need to see this building completed so they can understand what is expected of them in life. I know we can't take the place of his father, but I know we have no choice but to watch over him and make sure he becomes the father to the son he never had. This is our mission and we will not fail.

Reverend Corey Brooks, known as the "Rooftop Pastor", is the founder and senior pastor of New Beginnings Church in Chicago and the CEO of Project H.O.O.D. (Helping others achieve their destiny), local church mission. He gained national attention for his 94-day, 343-day rooftop vigil to transform the infamous "O-Block," once known as Chicago's most dangerous block, into #OpportunityBlock. Learn more at

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