'Can my Daddy have his Day?'

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'Can my Daddy have his Day?'

By Michaela L. Duckett – June 20, 2011

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Good Morning! How was your weekend? Did you participate in any Juneteenth celebrations? See any good movies? Spend time with family for Father’s Day? Hear a good word at church on Sunday? Whatever you did, tell us about it in the comment section below.

Don’t forget your umbrella. Today, the weatherman is calling for scattered showers and thunderstorms with a high of 93°.

Here’s what’s brewing in the news this morning:

Celebrating the good ones

Yesterday was Father’s Day. It is a day to celebrate fatherhood and honor our daddies, but as of late many have turned it into a time to put absentee fathers, particularly black fathers, on blast for their failures.

On Friday, author Denene Millner’s Facebook status read:

“Why are folk all up on my blog acting a fool because I dared suggest that instead of using Father's Day to bash bad black fathers, we CELEBRATE the good ones? I get that you're hurting. The conversation on trifling black fathers is extensive. But damn, can my daddy have his day? Is it so bad to say, ‘My husband is a great father and I appreciate him?’”

Millner was referring to comments left on her blog MyBrownBaby.com after she posted “A Special MyBrownBaby Love Letter To Black Fathers Getting It Right.” In the post Millner opens saying that while she “hearts” President Obama, she was ticked off a few years ago when “he took to the pulpit in a black church on Father’s Day to excoriate African American dads for falling down on their job as parents.”

She said Obama’s words advanced the stereotype that black fathers are lazy and inclined to abandon their children.

Millner added that if someone were to take to the pulpit and make such negative, stereotypical remarks about black moms on Mother’s Day, they “would be gutted, filleted and fried like a Friday dinner fish plate with a quickness.”

Maybe Millner has a point, but not everyone agreed.

In response to Millner’s “Love Letter” one commenter said:

“President Obama was totally right in his comment. What difference does it make if it was said on fathers day (sic), it needed to be said and it did not take away from good fathers. If it needed (sic) to be said about mothers than say that too, but too many African American men have abandon (sic) the African American family simply because they don’t want any real responsibility (sic) and it is SHAMEFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Another replied:

“I can see why you take offense to the President’s comments. You had the benefit of having your Dad around and a husband to support you. You wouldn’t understand and that’s okay because you are the fortunate few. A lot of us can understand and appreciate where the President was coming from and it needed to be said then just like it needs to be said now.”

However, Millner did find some support from readers who agreed that Father’s Day was a time to honor the good fathers, not take the deadbeats to task.

Question: Has the annual bashing of bad black daddies each Father’s Day gone too far or is it justified?
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In state sterilization victims to speak out
This week, victims coerced into sterilization under the State Eugenics Program will have the chance to share their stories with a task force appointed by Gov. Beverly Perdue. Many will likely be from Mecklenburg County. WFAE reports that the county had the highest number of sterilizations at the peak of the program. From 1929 until 1977, nearly 7,600 men, women and children as young as 10 were sterilized, many against their will and/or without their knowledge. At that time anyone could suggest a person be sterilized and "feeble-minded" or "promiscuous" are frequently-cited reasons in the state's medical records. An estimated 3,000 victims are still living and may qualify for compensation. (Read more here)
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International support for gay rights
President Barack Obama is being credited with playing a key role in pushing for gay rights at home and abroad now that the United Nations has formally endorsed the rights of gay, lesbian and transgender people for the first time ever. The Grio reports that Friday, the UN passed a resolution, which expresses "grave concern" about abuses against people because of sexual orientation and commissions a global report on discrimination against gays. While many supporters herald the declaration as an important and historic moment, it has been decried by some African and Muslim countries.(Read more here)