DerickBowers
Derick Bowers is a social enterprise expert and senior leader at CEO (Center for Employment Opportunities), a national nonprofit dedicated to providing immediate, effective and comprehensive employment services to men and women with recent criminal convictions. In his current role as Director of Crew Works, he ensures that each year, over 2000 individuals are given access to immediate transitional employment and daily pay. He believes that increasing opportunities for work is one of the most important keys to decreasing poverty and crime. Derick earned a B.A. in Communications - Radio, TV & Film from Howard University in Washington D.C., where he honed his passion for service. He is an alumnus of Coro’s Leadership New York program, and also a recent graduate of Columbia Business School’s Senior Leaders Program for Non-Profit Professionals. Derick is also passionate about Hip-Hop, and hopes to one day find ways to bridge Hip-Hop culture and philanthropy, to create vehicles for community driven innovation. He currently resides in Brooklyn, NY with his wife Scherley, and his two children -- Darius and Soraya.
When I understand that there is no curse that needs to be broken, and there is no debt that I need to repay, fatherhood becomes an extraordinarily beautiful gift. While in 1st grade, I had a friend by the name of Jon. I remember going to his house for scheduled play dates and being excited to spend the day with the only kid I knew who had a Super Nintendo. But outside of the toys and fun, what was most notable about being over at Jon’s house, was when his Dad would come home from work. He was a big and tall police officer who would enter that house with loud boot steps and would immediately lay his badge and gun on the kitchen table. Jon and his baby brother would run and jump into his arms, and I would tag along behind them hoping to get a hi-five, and maybe a glimpse of what it feels like to have a Dad. Thinking back to those days as a child, I don't recall ever being upset at my father for not being in my life. But sadly, I remember having this deep longing to be proud of him, just like Jon was of his Dad. And now at the age of 33, I realize I have brought that baggage into my role as a father. When I first learned I was going to have a son, there was an immense feeling of pride that was quickly overwhelmed by fear. Deep down inside, I believed I was flawed for being a fatherless son, and I immediately knew I had to do everything in my power not to pass down those shortcomings.
