Dear Friends,
When I was in prison, Father’s Day was mostly just a day like any other, unless my kids could come visit. But thinking about it now, every day was Father’s Day in a way, because being a dad has always been the most important thing to me. That’s why I got a degree in there. Why I called and wrote home so much, why I took care of my spiritual health. I never lost hope or purpose – even though the system seemed to want me to fail. I was freed after 20 years inside about three years ago. Father’s Day on the outside feels amazing. I have been having so much fun with my grandbabies and figuring out how to live my life.
This Father’s Day, I’m thinking also about the men I left behind. The guys missing their kids, the guys missing their fathers. I’m thinking about the life they lead day in and day out, and how prison can be anything but rehabilitative.
As you celebrate Father’s Day today, I hope you’ll join me and think about how criminal justice reform can make the lives of fathers and children so much better. Sincerely, |
