Anwan Wesley is doing it for the 'hood.

Next month, this young black father of two is set to publish his first full edition of Fatherhood, a magazine aimed at young urban dads.

	Robin Rombach, Post-Gazette Anwan Wesley, front, with his sons, Amari, left, and Tawan, is publishing a magazine to provide parenting information to young urban fathers like himself. Anwan's brother Ahmad, top, with his daughter, Amani, is assisting with the magazine and is the cover story subject for next month's inaugural issue. Click photo for larger image.

The publication grew out of the 24-year-old's search for parenting information to which he could relate.

"I was looking for something to help me out," said Mr. Wesley, who lives in East Liberty.

Two years ago, while seated in an obstetrician's office with his pregnant girlfriend, he perused the magazine rack. There were plenty of parenting magazines aimed at women. But there was nothing for young men trying to help rear children in an urban environment.

"The motivation for me was to help the kids, because I see the kids out here suffering," Mr. Wesley said. "I see the mothers are out here doing a lot of the work, and I see the fathers are not around at all in most cases.

"I have two sons [Amari, 1¹/₂, and Tawan, 6] and I'll do anything for them, and I would like all kids to have a father like that who would sacrifice anything for them."

Through the bimonthly magazine, Mr. Wesley hopes to encourage fathers who have not taken an active role in their children's lives to do so and to help hands-on dads stay the course.

"Young black men are portrayed as gangbangers, killers and men who don't take care of their kids," said Ahmad Wesley, Anwan's older brother, who's assisting him with the magazine. "There are a lot of them who take care of their kids but need guidance."

Ahmad Wesley, who lives in Homewood and has a 3-year-old daughter, Amani, sees the magazine not as a panacea for all the problems facing young fathers, but as a guide to dealing with the travails.

The 24-page color publication will also feature articles on young, expecting and single fathers, children's health, men's health and fitness, finances, music, movie and book reviews, education, fashion, influential people, spirituality, fathers' rights and other issues.

While there are a handful of contributing writers, "for the most part it's me and him putting the magazine together from start to finish," said Ahmad Wesley.

After deciding to do a magazine, Anwan Wesley enrolled in Duff's Business School to study business administration.

He's financing the publication through advertising, family members and his own pockets. But, he said, he'd love to partner with a family-focused community organization to help defray costs.

Ahmad Wesley, 25, the subject of the inaugural cover story, details his personal ups and downs, including his daughter's heart problems and his successful attempt to get joint custody.

"I told [the story] because from every problem and dark place there's a light at the end of the tunnel," Ahmad Wesley said. "If you work at it as much as you can in the end it'll be a better place for your child and you."

Anwan Wesley said his brother's story is the kind of inspirational tale he wants his magazine to focus on.

"We want to put positive images out here for our fathers," he said.

He said he has received good response to the sample magazine he's shown to young dads, advertisers and others he's encountered.

"This project is real big and we need to do it big and let [fathers] know that we need to step back into these communities and take these communities back," he said. "Leaving it to these kids they're going to kill each other."

The Wesley brothers are trying to do their part, to be to their children the kind of fathers their own dad was not. Anwan Wesley said he has at least 10 brothers and sisters courtesy of a father who was in and out of his life.

"I love my dad although he's done some things that aren't really admirable," he said.

Still, he plans on taking care of his father in his old age and hopes they will eventually discuss the twists and turns in his father's life.

"It's not my job to judge him," Anwan Wesley said. "But in order for us to have the relationship that I want, he has got to be truthful."

Like many young black men growing up in the inner city, Anwan Wesley has seen his share of death. Five years ago, he almost lost his own life in an incident at Indiana University of Pennsylvania that left a close friend dead.

Jamar Burns of Penn Hills, an IUP student, had gotten into an argument with another young man, Harold Lephart of Philadelphia. Things escalated and by the end of the day Pittsburgh reinforcements, including Anwan Wesley, were called in.

He said he thought it would be nothing more than a fist fight with some college guys, but Mr. Lephart had brought a knife. He stabbed Mr. Burns to death and stabbed Anwan Wesley four times.

Doctors told him he might never walk again. He recovered but suffers from back problems as a result of the stabbing.

"Now that I look back at it, it was risky because I had so much to lose," Anwan Wesley said. "I started really thinking about my actions."

"It just changed my life totally because before then I didn't really have any fears until I had to face death and fight back from it," he said. "I truly believe I was saved for a reason and maybe for this reason, for the magazine and to be a father to these kids out here."