From education reformer to grassroots organizer, Justin Cohen shares how his journey from privilege to protest shaped his mission of mobilizing fathers for social change.
Justin Cohen grew up in New Jersey surrounded by educators, with a teacher for a mother and a superintendent grandfather who exposed him early to the inequities baked into the school system. After building a successful career in education leadership and policy, Justin faced a turning point during the national reckoning on race and policing following the deaths of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. What began as technical policy work evolved into a deeper calling toward community organizing, where Justin sought to pair grassroots energy with clear demands for justice.
That shift led him to work with Campaign Zero and New York’s abolitionist movement, including the No New Jails campaign, experiences that reshaped how he viewed the balance between movements and policy. In 2024, while helping organize support for Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, Justin launched Dads for Kamala, an experiment in organizing fathers around political engagement with authenticity, humor, and vulnerability. That effort has since grown into Dads for All, an apolitical organization dedicated to tackling universal challenges like childcare, housing, and family economic security.
In this conversation, Justin unpacks the role of masculinity in social change, arguing that fathers represent an untapped force for collective action. He discusses why men often struggle with vulnerability and communication, and how simple practices like side-by-side connection or small acts of organizing can help combat isolation. With honesty and humor, Justin shares how his own fatherhood journey grounds his activism, from advocating for universal childcare to modeling gentler, more restorative ways of being a man.
Listeners will walk away inspired by Justin’s clarity, authenticity, and determination to build a culture where fathers are not only present in their families but also powerful agents of community transformation. Tune in to hear his story and learn how Dads for All is reframing what leadership and care can look like.
Chapters
🎙️
00:38 Meet Justin Cohen, Co-Founder of Dads for All
👨🏫
02:52 Justin’s background and early career
⚖️
05:01 From education to social justice
👨👩👦
08:35 The birth of the Dads for All movement
🏠
14:05 Universal childcare and family economic security
🌸
28:58 Honoring generations of women’s work
👩💼
29:13 The modern family workforce
🌞
30:51 Finding joy and rest in daily life
🧘
34:00 The power of meditation
💬
37:50 Emotional vulnerability in men
Check out Justin Cohen’s work at Dads for All, connect with him on Instagram, and explore his writing on Substack to engage with his vision for family, community, and social change.
Rapatalo Group: rapataloconsulting@gmail.com
Episode 61
