I want to wish a Happy Father’s Day to all those dads who love being dads. This is a special holiday because I feel that dads don’t get enough credit for what they do. We are not an emotional bunch but it does feel good to have those around us acknowledge how important we really are.

On the news it was reported that the average price for a gift on Father’s Day is $133, when on Mother’s Day that amount is $166. One could think that these figures show that one parent is more important than the other. I feel that the difference is simply due to the fact that Moms gifts are more expensive than Dads.

Sonora Smart Dodd founded Father’s Day at a YMCA in Spokane, Washington on June 19, 1910. Her father was a Civil War veteran and a single parent of six. She created this day in response to hearing a sermon about Mother’s Day. She felt that some dads worked just as hard as moms and that they deserved a special day also.

In 1913 a bill was introduced in Congress to make this day a national holiday. It was not until 1966 when President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring dads. He designated the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. It was not until 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed it into law and made Father’s Day a permanent national holiday.

Over the years it seems that there is more and more attention given to the third Sunday in June. All the newspapers and television ads want us to out and buy that special item for that special man.

To me this is the only holiday that celebrates being a man. It feels good as I walk down the street to be greeted with “Happy Father’s Day”. It feels equally good to say to this to the many men I pass along the way.

The only thing that bothers me is those single parents who are women, who want to be included in this day. We love you for all the work you have done in your single parent households but, Father’s Day is a celebration of being a man.

There was only one other event that I can remember that celebrated manhood. That event was the Million Man March that was held in Washington, DC on October 16, 1995.

This was an event that was used to unite all the African American males in one place and to show that many of us think and act the same about being men.  This event was organized by The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. He, along with the Nation of Islam, made it one of the most memorable events in many lives. It was a great feeling seeing so many African American males in one place with one agenda. One of the agendas was to promote what I call positive parenting.

There were many in the media who disputed the claim that there were one million men in attendance. To me it did not matter. I still get goose bumps thinking about being with all those positive men, in one place with one purpose.

I tip my hat to Minister Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam. They did a great job. They made sure that we did nothing to distract our attention from why were there. We even had to cross the street with the lights and stay with in the cross walks. It was so remarkable that when we looked at the news the next morning, the place where the march took place, Washington’s National Mall, was cleaned up as if we were never there.

I went to this event with my oldest son and another dad. His kids couldn’t go because of things they had to do at school.

My son and I still talk about our experience. The three of us stayed at a hotel in Virginia. (The other dads name is Bobby Allison. Thanks for driving us down there) There was nowhere to park, so we took the Metrorail from Virginia to DC. That was my second time using a rapid transit system outside NYC. The first was in Cleveland, Ohio.

We took the Metrorail both to and from the event.

Just before we decided to leave the event, my son had an allergic attack to something he ate. It was horrible. We are on the Metrorail, going back to the hotel, and his eyes had gotten swollen and he broke out in hives. All I could think of is that his mother will kill me if I don’t bring her son back in one piece.  Once at the hotel we were able to get him stabilized. The swollen eyes and hives went away and it’s a good thing it did because I was ready to contact the Marshalls office to see about the witness protection.

That trip really solidified the relationship between my son and me. We walked all over the Washington National Mall and it was exhilarating to see all those people of color in one place with one agenda.

Those messages of positivity are not limited just to those one million men in DC in 1995. I am willing to bet my paycheck that there are many men of all races and nationalities that are practicing positive parenting by being positive men.

Father’s Day is a celebration of being a man. Let’s celebrate.

Happy Father’s Day.   Thank you Dr. Robert Evans for your support.

I LOVE BEING A DAD!!