“Hundreds of thousands of black men
are unable to be good fathers to their children, not because of a
lack of commitment or desire, but because they are warehoused in
prisons.”
-Michelle Alexander
In honor of Father's Day, I want to
wish my dad a very special day. This year is the 5th year
that I've had to spend Father's Day either talking to my dad over the
phone or in a visiting room during visiting hours. There is no “I'm
going to buy my dad blah blah blah”
or “I'm taking my dad to insert jazzy restaurant here.”
Nope. I lost that right when Robert Bell, a convicted felon and paid
government informant, decided to wrongly accuse my dad of selling
drugs. Thank you, Mr. Bell, for denying my dad the right to see his
oldest daughter graduate college and be featured at her first guest
appearance. A huge shout out (and by shout out, I mean “fuck you”)
goes to the sneaky DEA agents who decided that motorcycle parts were
going to be a secret code for drugs and enough to lock a motorcycle
builder from Compton in prison for 20 years. Nope, for DEA agents,
lack of evidence is their code word for “rely solely on the word of
someone we have on payroll.” But I refuse to let their bullshit ass
foolery steal my dad's shine.
My
dad, in jail or not, is still an amazing father. And I would be proud
to have a husband and son just like him. He's not only my dad, he's
my best friend. Despite all of the bull crap we have dealt with
throughout the years with the trials and other drama, his positive
attitude and our deep conversations has meant the world to me. A
huge, sincere shout out goes to my dad because, as his oldest (and
damn-near his only) daughter, he is everything I need in a father and
a friend.
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