MARCH OF DADS
After George Floyd’s death in 2019 there was anger and outrage in the black community. I saw a photo of George’s daughter holding a sign saying her Dad was a hero – which he is. It was nearing Father’s Day and something about playing golf this Father’s Day didn’t feel right. I couldn’t help but think about all the Black and Indigenous Fathers who didn’t make it home due to Police Brutality and Gun Violence. I wanted to do something to show that their lives still mattered.
I am founder of The First Time Father, a digital platform dedicated to empowering first-time fathers, particularly fathers of colour. So, I called up The Dad Gang in NY, and we talked about us coming on board the MARCH OF DADS – and marching in support in Toronto. Only Father’s Day was a week away.
I didn’t know HOW we were going to do it, but I knew WHY we were doing it. Phone calls were made, T-shirts were designed, signs were drawn and a week later over 85 fathers of colour and their families were marching down Queen St. West in Toronto, arm in arm – marching for a cause, at the same time as fathers in New York and Atlanta marched as well.
It was beautiful. And it got national media coverage.
